The Badge
by LostForeverInHisEyes
Summary: By special request for TXJ - Who was she? The one who made Callen swear off dating cops. What happens when they have to work together again fifteen years later? Will it stay professional this time? Or will their past come back to haunt them? Callen/OC
1. Chapter 1

_The Badge_

_Browsing the discussion boards - perhaps not the best idea, plot bunnies going wild and such - found a request from TXJ about who the cop was that made Callen swear off dating them. _

_After getting the information from TXJ on what was wanted in the story, this is the result._

_Requirements were as follow:_

_She was from his FBI days, young (assumptions have been made about Callen's career time frame that probably aren't correct, so we will need to call this an AU story), they were undercover as a young unmarried couple, emotional messy ending to it, Callen never saw her again. She's back and they have to work in a similar situation._

_So, Who was she? What happens when they have to work together again fifteen years later? Will it stay professional this time? Or will their past come back to haunt them? Callen/OC _

_TXJ - Let's see how I did. _

_Hope you all enjoy. Reviews appreciated.  
_

_Disclaimer - don't own anything you recognise from TV, some of the ideas and scenes are from TXJ who will know which ones. Hopefully I haven't done anything too bad to them. ;-) All credit to TXJ for the OC name of Kimberly Isabella Donovan._

_Let the story begin..._

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o_

**Chapter 1**

Callen and Sam walked into the office with Callen attempting to tune out Sam's tirade about being late. He'd heard it enough times already to be able to quote him on it, though he did refrain. Noticing that Kensi and Hetty weren't at their desks, they headed up to the Ops Centre to see what was going on. And perhaps, circumventing a tardiness talk from Hetty if she didn't have to come find them.

Hetty, Kensi and Eric were already in the Ops Centre, as suspected, when they walked in. Both of them quickly noticing the unknown, additional person in the room.

"What have you got for us, Hetty?" Callen asked as he eyed the newcomer. He lent against the table, folded his arms and continued his assessment, coming to the conclusion fairly quickly that there was something about the guy he really didn't like. Perhaps it was the way he was standing there like he owned the place.

"Who's the new guy?" Sam asked. A smile twitched on Callen's face, as the new guy seemed to lose some of that arrogance as he looked at Sam. Kensi raised her eyebrows at his look and he shrugged slightly. Kensi shook her head at him, obviously noticing that he was enjoying the reaction of this new addition to Sam. Sam could be intimidating, not only when he wanted to be, but when he didn't as well and, as Callen looked at Sam, he could see that right now, he wanted to be. Seems he wasn't the only one whose instincts didn't like the guy.

Hetty glanced at her watch and then at them, though she didn't comment on their lateness.

"This is Agent Troy Matthews, DEA." Hetty pointed to the appropriate agents as she introduced them. "Special Agents G Callen and Sam Hanna. Agent Matthews will be working closely with us on this next mission."

_DEA. That could explain it. _He didn't have fond memories of his time with that particular agency. Callen turned his attention to Hetty.

"Which is?" he asked.

Hetty smiled. "All in good time Mr Callen. We will be joined by an FBI Agent shortly to discuss the mission in more detail." Hetty turned her attention more to Callen and Sam than the rest of the team, as she continued. "This mission is a joint one. FBI, DEA and NCIS. I expect you all to play nice and work together co-operatively."

"Why?" Callen asked

"Why?" Hetty raised her eyebrows as she looked at him. "Because I do."

Eric attempted to cover his laugh with a cough, which caused Hetty to briefly glance over at the tech expert. Callen resisted the urge to smile again. He had noticed the DEA agent looked nervous as he glanced between Hetty and Eric. If Sam was intimidating, Hetty was downright scary, especially the first time you saw her make someone quake in their boots at a look. He remembered it well.

"No. Why the joint operation?" Callen asked again.

"Ah, that," Hetty tilted her head toward him. He had a feeling she was seeing right through him, but to what, he couldn't be sure. She did know his file pretty well and knew his dislike for certain other agencies. Perhaps she was just wondering if he would play nice with the other agencies operatives. Hetty continued with brief summary of the mission in front of them. "DEA wish to take down a drug cartel, FBI wish to solve multiple child abductions and we _will,_"she emphasised, making it clear that she didn't care whether the FBI and DEA actually managed their aims, however NCIS would not fail, "find out what Navy personnel are involved in the removal of said children from the country."

Callen saw Sam frown as the bigger man turned his attention away from scrutinizing the DEA agent to Hetty.

"Someone from the Navy is smuggling these children out?" Sam asked. "To where?"

Hetty shook her head. "We don't know," she replied concerned. "But we believe at least one naval officer is involved. Considering the situation, it is highly likely there are more." Hetty frowned as she continued, "Intel indicates that the drug cartel, in their attempt to keep their suppliers happy, or tempt them back from rival cartels, are looking at different forms of payment or incentives. With money somewhat tighter these days, it appears that sending them young girls is one option they are pursuing."

"Young girls? Not to-"

Hetty cut Sam off. "Yes Mr Hanna. That."

Callen saw Kensi briefly close her eyes and Sam hold back a shudder. A chill went through him at the possibilities of what those girls were going through.

"So where's the FBI Agent?" Callen asked as he straightened up. "She late?"

"No. I am about to go and meet her," Hetty replied.

"What else do we need to know?" Sam asked. Callen could tell he was impatient to get started on this.

Hetty smiled slightly. She too could see the impatience in Sam. "Mr Callen and the FBI agent will be going undercover in an attempt to have someone 'kidnap' their fourteen year old daughter," Hetty added. Callen frowned. They had Kensi, why did they need to use someone else? Sam spoke before he could ask the question though.

"You're using a child as bait?" Sam didn't sound too impressed with the idea.

"I assure you Mr Hanna," Hetty said in the tone that told them she was extremely serious, "there will be no more children taken."

"Why aren't we just using Kensi?" Callen managed to ask before anyone else could say anything. He glanced briefly at Kensi then back to Hetty.

"Because as good as Miss Blye is," Hetty looked over at Kensi as she spoke, "I do not believe she would pass as being thirty eight and a mother of a fourteen year old."

Sam chuckled silently, Eric busied himself with something on the computer and Callen smiled as Kensi raised her eyebrows, obviously waiting for some sarcastic comment. "Good point," was all he said, in an attempt to avoided getting himself in trouble. Adding ten years to a woman's age was never a good idea.

"Is she any good?" Sam asked.

Hetty frowned and turned her gaze to Sam. "The child?"

Sam rolled his eyes and gave a slight smile. "The FBI Agent."

"According to the FBI, she is one of their best undercover operatives. She has been working with them for years." Hetty turned to face Callen. "She sounds a bit like you actually, Mr Callen."

Callen raised an eyebrow. "Does she have a name?" he asked, his curiosity piqued at Hetty's comment.

Hetty shook her head. "Was not told. As we were not told Agent Matthews name until I met him earlier this morning."

"Want some company to pick her up?" Callen offered. Hetty shook her head again as started toward the door.

"No thank you Mr Callen. I am perfectly capable of retrieving the FBI Agent myself. Perhaps you two," Hetty indicated Callen and Sam, as she turned slightly to look back at them, "could show Agent Matthews around and go over what details he has brought with him," Hetty instructed. Because really, Hetty rarely gave them suggestions. They were just instructions phrased as if they had a choice. And it was always better to assume that it was an instruction, just in case.

"Yes Hetty." Sam and Callen answered together, whilst Kensi and Eric tried not to laugh and Agent Matthews frowned.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Hetty walked into the small coffee shop and quickly took note of her surroundings. There weren't many customers at this time of the morning, the before work rush having already finished. She saw the woman she was here to meet. As she walked towards her, Hetty thought that the description she had been given of the agent had been very accurate.

"Miss Blair," she said, as she arrived at the table.

The agent looked up at her and frowned. "Yes?"

"I believe you wanted to see this," Hetty replied as she passed the younger woman a small envelope as she had been instructed to do. 'Miss Blair' opened it and briefly looked at the contents. She looked back and gave Hetty a reassuring smile.

"Please sit down. Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"No thank you," Hetty replied as she took a seat across from the FBI Agent. She looked young, but would at least be able to pass as a young thirty eight year old, unlike Miss Blye. There was something in her eyes though that told Hetty she had been through a lot, perhaps more than most.

"Thank you for agreeing to work with me."

Hetty nodded slightly and smiled. "Agent Fornell speaks quite highly of you."

'Miss Blair' gave a small smile as she shook her head slightly and replied, "Too highly, I think."

Hetty frowned slightly. Fornell had been the one to compare her to Agent Callen and for that kind of recommendation to come from the Senior FBI Agent, she was sure that it was the truth.

"I doubt it. Agent Gibbs, also. Have you worked with them much?" Hetty asked her. She saw a brief flash of something go across the agent's face but it was quickly covered before Hetty could interpret it.

"A bit. This must be difficult not knowing who I am, except for what they have told you," 'Miss Blair' commented.

Hetty nodded her agreement. "It is enough for now. Though more is always better."

The agent pulled a small envelope out of her own bag and passed it to Hetty. She smiled. "Perhaps this will help a little. Once we get back, you'll have access to my records. It was better this way. The concern for the children over-road normal procedures." There was a frown on her face as she finished speaking and Hetty could see the concern and worry over this assignment.

"I understand," Hetty reassured her as she briefly glanced inside the envelope, a few more details of her companion being revealed. She slipped the envelope in her own handbag and looked back at the agent sitting across from her.

"Shall we go?" Hetty asked. She knew her team, in particular Mr Hanna, were anxious to get started on this. Sam was always very concerned if a mission involved children.

"Of course," 'Miss Blair' replied and stood up, picking up her bag and taking the final sip of her coffee.

Hetty led the way back to her car and, once they were safely inside she spoke again.

"Miss Donovan," Hetty started, using the agent's real name, "I hope you are as good as they say you are."

"So do I Miss Lange. Casey's life depends on it," Miss Donovan replied.

"As does yours and my agents," Hetty warned. Agent Donovan had excellent references, but Hetty was still concerned about how an unknown agent would fit in with the team, especially from a different agency.

"I take it that they are good at their job?" Miss Donovan asked.

"I only work with the best there is Miss Donovan. The ones you will be working with are the best of those," Hetty assured her, as she pulled the car out onto the street.

"I hope I don't disappoint."

Hetty shook her head and smiled. "That will not happen."

Miss Donovan looked at her, a slight frown on her face. "You sound confident of that."

"As I said, I only work with the best," Hetty replied and gave the agent a look that told her she expected she would belong in that category.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N - Thanks for the response to this story, the reviews, alerts, favouriting. It's been great._

_Okay TXJ - you don't have to wait any longer for their meeting!  
_

_Just a note, if you are following this story and Compromised, both will be regularly updated. This one a little quicker only because it is completed aside from the final polishing and adjustments that comes with reviews. Compromised is a longer, more involved one. This is my romantic relief as I try and keep Compromised more drama, episode like._

_Note - in general the italics will be the characters actual thoughts. Let me know if you are having trouble with following them and I'll try to make it clearer in future chapters. It's clear enough to me, but I know what's going on. ;-)  
_

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 2**

As Hetty pulled the car up to the rundown building that was OSP Headquarters, Kimberly Donovan looked at it, looked at the signs that said it was condemned and turned to her companion with raised eyebrows and a questioning look on her face.

"I assure you Miss Donovan, the exterior does not reflect either the interior or the occupants. It has merely been left in this condition to deter unwanted visitors," Hetty responded to the unspoken question

"So the condemned signs are just for show?" Kim asked.

Hetty nodded and assured the agent, "You will be perfectly safe inside."

Kim wasn't sure what she would find inside, but the moment she walked through the doors, she could not only see but feel the difference from her usual workplace. She could hear the hum of a busy office, the voices, the footsteps and smiled. There was a buzz about it, something that hinted this was a pleasant place to work, even if the work itself wasn't always so. It would certainly be a different environment to the clinical and technical office she was used to working in, when she wasn't in the field. She was sure she would enjoy the change. At least, enjoy it as much as this particular mission would allow her.

Kim frowned as she thought of Casey and what she might be going through at the moment. She felt the familiar rush go through her that always came, when she was about to go on out in the field and get the bad guys. It was almost addictive, which was why she was still working in the field rather than a desk job.

Walking beside Hetty, they turned around a corner and she crashed unexpectedly into someone rather solid, almost losing her footing. Kim reached out to steady herself, just as two arms slipped around her and held her up, her hands finding there way to his shoulders to hold on. She froze at the feel of those arms; arms she knew, ones she could never forget, no matter how hard she tried. They were warm, strong and, as much as she hated to admit it, somehow they still made her feel safe. Her mind begged, 'Please no,' as she looked up. Blue eyes clashed with blue eyes and she couldn't look away.

Callen instinctively put his arms around the woman who had crashed into him, to stop her from falling. He looked down at her, ready with some comment about being more careful. As his eyes locked with hers, the words were lost as the familiar feel of her in his arms, coupled with those eyes, brought memories flooding into his mind. He couldn't move, just held her and looked into her eyes as she looked up at him.

Kim's breathing was shallow, her head spinning, as she felt all the walls she'd fought so hard to keep up over the years fail. The pain, memories and feelings she'd felt, all of it came flooding back. She had no idea how she managed it, but somehow she pulled back from him and he let her go.

Callen stepped back slightly as Hetty introduced them. "Agent G Callen, this is FBI Agent Kimberly Donovan."

"We've met," Kim said as she took another step back away from him, keeping her eyes averted.

Callen didn't say anything. But unlike Kim, he couldn't help but look at her. He was still in shock from seeing her after all these years, even more so that just seeing her had brought everything back. He thought that he had locked her away better than that.

Callen couldn't help but notice how she had changed, grown up a bit from the girl she used to be. She looked older, and not in a bad way. Her hair had darkened over the years, definitely leaning more to a deeper red than strawberry blonde, and was still long. His fingers itched to run through it as they once had. He clenched his fists as he fought the urge to raise his hand.

Hetty noticed the tension and frowned. Maybe they could do with some time to talk.

"Good." Hetty focused her attention on Callen as she continued. "Mr Callen, you can show Miss Donovan around and then I will meet you both upstairs so we can discuss this mission. There is something that requires my attention first," Hetty instructed them, turned and left.

Callen and Kim stood there. Kim looking anywhere but him, Callen still not able to take his eyes off her. Neither of them wanted to be the first to speak. They were both too busy fighting the emotions that running into the other had brought to the surface.

Callen eventually broke the silence, "It's been a while." _It doesn't feel like it._

"Not long enough," Kim replied, her tone angry. She knew that voice, still heard it in her dreams sometimes. Hated the feelings and emotions that it brought back to her, even after what he had done. Hated herself for reacting this way. She felt the pain and anger flare, along with frustration with herself for letting this get to her. _It was so long ago. Why? Why do I still have to feel something for him? After everything._

Callen responded defensively, "I didn't ask for this."

"You think I did?" Kim finally looked at him as she spoke, her tone abrupt and accusing, her body tense. It didn't help her mood that she still found him attractive. _Couldn't he have gotten old, grey, let himself go or something._

"Are you going to be able to keep this professional?" Callen retaliated. Given his reaction to her so far, he wasn't entirely sure he would be able to himself. He'd never expected to see her again. He certainly didn't think that after all this time, he would still feel the same way. Given her reaction, Callen guessed she was having a hard time too. _Do you blame her for being a bit pissed at you? You left her without a word, _a little voice, that wasn't his own, inside his head told him.

Kim straightened up and glared at him, "I'm not the one who hit our target because he flirted with me." _So this is what I get for not dealing with something. No control and lashing out. Great. _She narrowly avoided rolling her eyes to go along with her thoughts

The scene that Kim mentioned flashed through Callen's mind, bringing with it all the emotions of that night, provoking his response.

"He had his hands all over you right in front of me, what the hell was I supposed to do? We were supposed to be together."_ Definitely not professional._

Kim's anger and frustration propelled her forward, whilst she made her point. It was an unconscious decision, because if she'd had any idea she was going to do it, she would have made sure it was backwards.

"You were supposed to let it happen," she said. "That had been the plan. Protest, yes. Knock him out, no."

She was right, it had been the plan. But the plan hadn't taken into account the massive surge of jealously that Callen hadn't been able to control. He could still remember the feeling.

"Perhaps if you hadn't enjoyed it so much, he might have moved a little slower," he threw back at her. Completely uncalled for, because he knew she hadn't been enjoying herself.

Kim brought her hand up quickly to slap him, but he caught it and spun her back into the wall, pinning her arms to the walls with his hands and standing close, trapping her. _Just one little step and you be right there..._He remembered having her that close in a very different way and he tried not to think about how good it felt to have her like this again, tried not to take that last little step that would bring him completely against her.

"How dare you! As if I was enjoying that," Kim argued as she tried to push him away. Tried to ignore the memories of how much she had enjoyed being in his arms. She felt the tears at the back of her eyes and fought to push them back. She wouldn't let him see her cry over him. She'd done that enough to last a lifetime.

"Fooled me," Callen added. _How does she do it? How does she make me lose control so easily?_

"Yeah, well you did the same to me," she snapped back at him.

He frowned, confused. "How?"

She pushed at him again and he finally let her go and stepped back..

"Never mind," Kim said as she turned and took a step away. She had to keep walking, she didn't care where she went as long as it put space between them.

"It was just …" Callen started to say but she cut him off, even though her back was to him, and she started walking away as she spoke.

"Just a job, I know. Nothing personal." Just saying the words made her chest ache like a knife being twisted in it.

Callen reached out and pulled her back to face him. He hadn't been about to say that. He'd been going to say, 'It was just that you were too good at your job.' She had been. It had been her first mission and she'd been very good.

"Don't," Kim begged, shocking him with the pain he saw on her face and heard in her voice. "You made it very clear that I meant nothing, that it was just a job," she continued.

"Bella -"

Kim cut him off again, that name coming from his lips just making the pain even worse and her anger rise. He was the only one who had ever called her that. He'd chosen the name for her, and they'd ended up using it as her alias.

"It was mission successful for you." Kim did her best not to yell at him, but her voice was raised in anger and she was sure that others in the office could hear, but right now she didn't care. She wanted to get away from him, except she didn't. She kept talking, fighting with him. "You walked away. Never looked back. Don't even try and -"

Callen wanted to protest, tell her that he had looked back but he didn't get the chance as Hetty interrupted them.

"Is there a problem here?" They both looked at her and Hetty saw that the tension between them hadn't eased with their chat. If anything, it had gotten considerably greater. She frowned and waited for an answer.

"No," they replied together, as Callen let Kim go.

"Good. I need you both upstairs now," Hetty ordered, looking between the two of them.

Kim nodded, "I just need the bathroom Hetty. I'll be right up." She turned and walked away.

Hetty turned to him. "Mr Callen," she said, the concern coming through in her voice.

"Hetty," Callen replied, still watching Kim.

"Should I be concerned?" Hetty noticed he hadn't taken his eyes of Kim yet. Given that the two of them had barely moved since she had left them, Hetty did wonder how Kim was going to find the bathroom, let alone make her way upstairs.

Callen shook his head. "No."

Hetty watched him carefully. "I didn't know that you had worked with her before."

"Long time ago. I'll see you upstairs," Callen replied as he turned away.

Hetty watched him for a few moments, before she headed in the direction of the bathrooms. Apparently Kim had found them easily. She was standing at the sink looking in the mirror.

"Miss Donovan, are you all right?" Hetty asked, after checking to ensure they were alone. Gossip around the office was already going to be flying after their very public encounter just now.

Kim took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"I'm fine Hetty."_ Liar,_ her mind screamed at her. "Just wasn't expecting him, that's all."

"How long has it been since you worked together?"

"Fifteen years," Kim admitted.

"That must have been when he was still with the FBI." A time when there were missions that were sealed that she hadn't yet tried to get into. Hetty wondered whether she should reconsider her push for access to the more confidential files on Agent Callen.

Kim just nodded.

"Can you tell me about it?" Considering the intensity of the conversation between the two of them, Hetty felt that it would be most beneficial if she knew what had happened.

Kim shook her head. "Not much." Files were sealed even now. There wasn't much she could tell Hetty.

"We spent eight months deep undercover," Kim added.

"As a couple?" Hetty asked, though she already felt she knew the answer to that question.

Kim nodded as she took a deep breath.

"Is it going to be a problem working with him again?" Hetty asked.

Kim shook her head. "No." She wouldn't let it be. This mission was more important than the past or anything she felt now.

Hetty stepped closer to agent and asked gently. "Did it get personal?" She noticed the tension increase in Kim at her question.

"Depends on who you ask and who's around at the time."

"I'm asking you and there is no one around," Hetty confirmed.

"Yes." Kim closed her eyes as she continued, "He'll answer no, as would I if he was around."

Hetty frowned. That wasn't the impression she got from the scene she had witnessed between the two of them. "How do you know it didn't get personal for him?"

Kim opened her eyes and looked at Hetty through the mirror.

"Because he said so. Because he wasn't there when I woke up and I never heard from him again."

"Woke up?" Hetty frowned again. Kim turned to face her.

"I got shot. By the time I woke up in the hospital three days later he was gone. New agency. New mission. No forwarding address." No goodbye. No Sorry you got hurt. No thanks for the memories, good luck in the future.

"It hurt you." Hetty could hear the pain in Kim's voice, unexpected considering the length of time it had been. Though perhaps not. It did sound like neither of them had dealt with their issues very well, considering the reactions to each other so far, that she had witnessed.

Kim closed her eyes briefly. _More than hurt._ "It was a long time ago Hetty," she said in an attempt to avoid any further discussion about it.

"Time doesn't always make the pain goes away, especially if you don't have any closure," Hetty advised Kim.

Kim shook her head. "The door's well and truly shut. He shut, tripled locked and barricaded it."


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 3**

As Callen walked away, he could feel Hetty eyes boring into his back and he wondered if she knew he was lying. If she didn't, it would be one of the few times he'd managed to get something past Hetty. And lying he was; she should be concerned. Hell, he was concerned. It had been a long time since he'd felt that far out of control.

Callen couldn't believe she was the FBI Agent assigned to them. He really hadn't thought she'd still be in this line of work.

_Why not? _that voice in his head whispered to him. _Because I had hoped she'd find something safer to do, _he answered back. _Like you did?_

Callen shook his head, trying to get rid of that nagging little voice that sounded oddly like Nate. He had a feeling this was going to get messy. Not so much the mission, but things between him and Bella.

_Don't you mean Kim? _

_Get out of my head Nate,_ he thought as he stopped at the top of the stairs, giving himself a moment to try and get himself back under control before joining the team for the briefing .

It had been fifteen years. For eight months, fifteen years ago they had been together. Trying to make their way into an organised crime gang that preyed on young couples. They'd been that young couple. She was the bait; the pretty girl who liked to party. He was what they wanted. The boyfriend who would do anything for her. His 'job' was in a position to get the gang what they needed. They'd been so close, on the verge of getting in, when he'd lost control. Their cover had been blown and everything blew up in their faces. Thankfully, they'd had enough on the gang to be able to take down the local operation, even if it didn't give them everything they'd been aiming for.

Callen shook himself out of those thoughts. Now wasn't the time. He straightened up and walked into the Ops Centre.

Sam turned to Callen as he arrived, "Met the FBI chick yet?" he asked.

"Yep," Callen nodded.

"What's her name ?" DEA agent Troy Matthews asked. Callen glanced over at him. _Nope, still don't like him._

"Kimberley Donovan," he replied. At least he got her name right.

Matthews eyes went wide. "You're kidding? The Ice Queen?"

Callen frowned. She was anything but. Fire? Yes. Ice? No.

"Ice Queen?" repeated Sam.

"You worked with her before?" Callen asked, before Matthews could respond to Sam's question.

Matthews shook his head. "No, but some colleagues have."

"What's she like?" asked Sam.

Matthews turned his attention to Sam as he responded. "Cold. Outside of the alias and the job, she's like ice. Doesn't have many friends. On the job, apparently she's brilliant. Can pull off any emotion, any role, better than most."

Callen didn't like the sound of that. Yes, she'd been great at being someone else, but the rest. She'd hadn't been anything like that when he'd known her.

_Yeah, well that was a long time ago. _

Callen turned to Nate but managed to stop himself from telling him to shut up. It wasn't Nate's fault that Callen kept hearing Nate's voice in his head. He turned back to Matthews.

"Anything else you want to add?" Callen asked, his tone indicating that the DEA agent should hold his tongue. Sam picked up on this, turned to his partner and frowned.

Matthews shrugged and, having obviously not picked up on the warning, continued. "They don't recommend trying to get to know her. She freezes anyone out. Though apparently she's pretty hot, though might have to do with the red -." Matthews stopped at the look Callen was firing at him finally registered. He shook his head. "Nothing else," he finished nervously.

"Good," Callen said and turned to his partner. "Sam, be careful. She's got a thing about Seals."

Sam frowned. "What kind of thing?"

"You know her?" Matthews interrupted. Callen ignored him and focused on his warning to Sam.

"A 'doesn't like them much' thing," he confirmed.

"Why?"

Callen almost chuckled. He knew Sam didn't like it when people thought badly of Seals, and he knew that was how it would have come across.

"She couldn't be one," Callen stated simply.

Sam continued to look at him, his expression turning to puzzlement as he asked, "Why would she wanna be one?" Callen didn't get the chance to answer, as Kim walked in at that moment.

"Because I did," she answered. Callen could hear the tension in her voice and watched as she walked past him and to stand as far away from him as possible, without it being obvious.

"Women can't be Seals," Sam responded.

Kim shrugged. "Officially no, but it doesn't mean they shouldn't or that I'm not better than one," she added.

"Yeah?" Sam eyed her up and down. Callen held back a smile. "Think you can take me do you?" Sam asked her.

Kim returned the smile. Callen definitely remembered _that_ smile. It was the one she had when she had something up her sleeve that you didn't know about. And it always meant trouble.

"You think I can't?" Kim questioned Sam, as she looked him over.

Sam shook his head, obviously confident that she was no threat.

"Is that a challenge?" Kim continued, a tilt to her head, and a challenging tone to her voice. Callen raised his eyebrows at it, a touch of worry forming in him. She was really serious about this.

"If you want it to be," Sam replied, eyes focused on her.

Kim nodded. "Just say when and where."

"Not here and not now, Mr Hanna," added Hetty as she walked through the door, giving Sam a reprimand with just a look. "We have a mission to prepare for."

"Sorry Hetty," Sam apologised quickly.

Kim didn't say anything, but her glance went past Callen, as she looked away from Sam, he was sure she was almost about to smile at him. Like she used to when she'd gotten away with something.

"Agent Donovan, have you been introduced?" Hetty asked, as she looked around the room, confirming everyone was there.

"Not to everyone," Kim answered.

"Agents Kensi Blye and Sam Hanna, Eric Beale, technical expert, Nate Getz, operations psychologist. All NCIS. Agent Troy Matthews, DEA," Hetty pointing them out as she went.

Sam watched Kim during the introductions. Callen was sure his partner was trying to figure her out.

"What do we call you?" Sam asked after Hetty had finished.

"Agent Donovan's fine, or Kimberly. I'll answer to both."

"Kim?" Kensi asked.

"That too."

"Kid?" The word slipped out before Callen thought it through.

Her head turned sharply to look at him and she glared, "Don't push it Callen," she snapped. Their eyes locked for a moment but she pulled her gaze away quickly.

Sam turned and frowned at Callen, who shrugged. Sam mouthed the word 'Later'.

Callen had no doubt they would be having a lot of conversations about Bella.

_Kim!_ Mentally he shook off Nate's correction. _Seriously, couldn't it have been Sam's voice instead. At least I could have ignored it easier._

"To the mission," Hetty said bringing his focus back to the room.


	4. Chapter 4

_Onto the mission at hand..._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 4**

They all turned to face the screen in front, as Hetty started speaking. "This is a rare opportunity for some of the best agents of three different agencies," Callen glanced at Matthews, wondering if he really counted, he really didn't like the feel he was getting from the guy. "to work together and show how it should be done. Now to start. Agent Donovan, you have the floor. Tell us what the FBI knows."

Kim stepped forward and turned to face them, still avoiding looking at Callen.

"Over the past two months there have been at least five child abductions that we believe are connected. Now that the leak within the FBI has been plugged -" she started.

"You had a leak?" Callen interrupted her.

"Yes," There had been a case, unconnected to these ones, which had caused their investigation to stop briefly, just in case. They hadn't wanted to risk the chance that they were connected. Thankfully, their IT specialist had been able to track down the culprit rather quickly.

"Are you sure it has been plugged?" Callen pressed on. Kim finally looked at him.

"Well and truly," she assured him. "The agent responsible is currently being transferred to a cold, remote location and once this is over, they will be charged."

Before she could get back to the mission details he asked, "Any reason why they are not being charged now?"

Kim was frustrated and glared at him. She took a deep breath and calmed down. She needed to be professional with him. Might as well practice now.

"Yes, because we didn't want their contact, should it have been related to this case, realise that we were onto them. The relocation means access to different systems with no way to be able to pass on information about this case. There is too much at stake." She tilted her head and held his gaze, daring him to continue. "Anything else?"

"No," Callen replied as he held back a smile at her look. She had always been a little hot tempered and he'd usually enjoyed provoking her in little ways. Mostly, back then, it had been fun to see how far he could push her on a subject. She had interesting ways to distract him, especially when they were alone. _Focus G. Mission, children in trouble - not your love life; past, present or future. _Callen almost groaned. He'd wanted Sam's voice, looks like his mind was complying.

Kim turned away from him and continued. "My colleagues are looking into other abductions to see if there are more that may be connected." She frowned. "We hope there aren't."

"How do you know they are connected?" Sam asked.

Kim shook her head, "We don't know for sure, but for now we're working on the assumption that they are."

"What makes you think they are?" Callen asked.

"Well, if you let me finish I'll explain," Kim snapped at his interruption. _Oh come on Kim. It was a legitimate question. Just pretend he's someone else._

Callen raised his eyebrows at her reaction. "Sorry," he said.

Kim nodded to Eric, who put the information up on the screen for her. "Five kidnappings. Two from L.A, one from Washington, one from Denver and one from Seattle." She moved them around and brought the photos of the five children to the front.

"Similarities. The parents were out, so the child was with a babysitter, or relative. Generally at night, with someone weak in physical strength. Also, the timings were done for the greatest time frame between them being taken and it being discover that they were gone. All after ten pm at night, when the girls would have been asleep, and it wasn't likely that they would be checked on until morning." Kim turned back to face them. "All children are between thirteen and fifteen. All girls."

Callen watched her carefully. He could see that she cared about this case. There was concern and worry on her face that didn't match with the Ice Queen image Matthews had suggested she had. Because if she really was like that, none of those emotions would have made it to her face.

Kim continued. "It wasn't until we looked deeper, that we found a connection here in L.A."

Kim returned to the screen and focused on the individual cases for the moment.

"Denver abduction. Single father was out here on business, staying at the Ocean Grand Resort, out of contact during meetings."

"Seattle abduction. Parents also staying at The Grand on a special weekend away. Were having dinner at Seasons Restaurant and Bar when it happened."

"Washington Abduction - Parents had stayed at the Grand with the child for a weekend before they flew to England for a holiday. Child went back to Washington with the grandparents."

"L.A abductions - Thirteen year old. Her twenty eight year old sister has custody. She was out with her boyfriend at a nightclub, when it happened. Fifteen year old. Parents were out to dinner at the Seasons."

Kensi stepped closer to the screen and frowned. "So possible link with the hotel for some of them," Kensi said. Kim nodded and brought up another photo. A man, early to mid twenties.

"This is Gavin Richards, a bartender at the Grand. Seattle parents identified him as the one who got them a booking at the restaurant on short notice. He apparently plied the Denver father with free drinks and questioned him about his family and business. He is a family friend of the thirteen year old 's sister and recommended her and her boyfriend check out the nightclub, which just happens to be above the Seasons Restaurant. The Washington parents believed he was a little too friendly and curious during their stay. The other L.A. parents were apparently a regular at the restaurant once a month. So we don't believe there is a connection there to Richards."

"Is he the only connection at the hotel?" Callen asked, hoping she didn't snap again.

"That we can tell. We have no leads on who the connection is at the Restaurant though. We believe that Richards is feeding information about potential targets he comes across to someone else. His bank balance doesn't add up with him being a simple bartender," Kim answered, remaining professional this time.

Hetty spoke up. "This is where the DEA's information comes into play. Agent Matthews, enlighten us please."

Matthews stepped forward and Kim moved out of the way, unconsciously moving to stand near Callen. Callen saw her tense when she realised where she was, but she just turned and faced the screen, ignoring him.

"We believe he is working for a distributor of a South American drug cartel. They have been having problems with some of their suppliers defecting. Money talks and some have more than others or are willing to cut their profit percentage in return for have a bigger share of the market. We came across some intel that suggested some are winning their suppliers back with the promise of light entertainment."

"The girls," Sam said.

"Yes," Matthews confirmed. "When this came to light, we started working with the FBI, and now you."

"And you believe that the girls are being shipped out of the country?" Callen asked Matthews.

"The Navy connection," Sam added.

"Yes," Matthews nodded.

Kensi frowned and asked, "Will we be able to find the ones who have already been taken?"

Kim moved forward again as she answered Kensi's question. "If we can bring down the drug cartel, we should be able to get some idea, as well as from the Naval officer. But we can't touch him at all until we have the net around the cartel. If he disappears they'll get suspicious and pull out," Kim advised.

"We don't want that," Matthews added his agreement.

Kim moved to the screen and pulled up the photo of the latest L.A victim, the thirteen year old.

"At this point, Casey is the FBI's priority. We believe she is still in the country which means we have a chance to stop this going any further for her. As much as we would love to take everyone down and find the others, she needs to be safe first." Kim's tone turned urgent and again, Callen wondered whether there was more to this case than she was telling them. Kim continued, "She's innocent and we can't let them do this to her. The timing in these first few days is critical. If the suspected events of the previous abductions are correct, they'll be moving her no later than the end of the week."

Matthews interrupted, putting his agencies needs on the table. "We need to take down the cartel, or they'll just move into another city and this will be happening again in a few months, only it will be more difficult to find them."

Whilst Callen agreed, he really didn't like Matthews tone. It suggested that the DEA's mission was more important. The look Kim flashed at Matthews, who again didn't pick up on it, suggested she felt the same. _Matthews really isn't very observant._

"Agreed," Kim nodded at Matthews, her tone only just bordering on civil, and looked to the rest of them. "We'll need back up covering all possibilities if we don't want to let anyone through," she added

"Need a big net," Sam commented. Kim turned her head to him.

"They're big fish. We'll need more than one," she added.

"Can we do that Hetty? Can we get enough manpower?" Callen asked his boss. Hetty stepped forward, taking over the briefing.

"Of course. It has already been organised."

The team turned and focused on Hetty as she continued to provide details.

"Agent Donovan and Agent Callen will be moving into the hotel in the morning, undercover on a one week stay. Second honeymoon including their anniversary. Bait is the fourteen year old daughter at home with her grandparents."

Callen watched Kim's reaction to their mission, but aside from a faint increase in colour of her cheeks, she showed no reaction.

"Agent Matthews," Hetty turned to the DEA agent who, although his feet didn't move, he did seem to back away from her. Callen saw Sam smile at the movement.

"Make sure that your agents are ready to go at our signal," Hetty continued. She turned and directed her attention to the entire group. "DEA will take care of the drug cartel. FBI the child's recovery, and NCIS will be positioned to take down any military personnel involved. However, NCIS will have control of this mission. This is our city and we do not take kindly to military personnel being involved in something such as this."

Sam nodded his agreement.

Hetty turned her attention to Kim, "Agent Donovan," she started. Kim got in before Hetty could finish.

"FBI Agents are already in place at all possible exit ports to move on your word, if we get any hint that Casey is anywhere near them."

Hetty nodded. Callen smiled. It was usually the other way around. Hetty answering a question before it was asked.

"You trust them?" Callen asked as he turned to Kim.

"Yes," Kim answered and looked directly at him, one of the few times she'd made eye contact since she'd walked into the room. "With my life," she continued. He was sure that it was meant to be a dig at him

"Good." Hetty nodded. "Time to get to work. Agent Donovan, Agent Callen, with me. The rest of you. Make sure you know what is going on. Forwards, backwards and upside down. There is no room for error on this mission."

"Yes Hetty," Sam and Kensi replied together. Callen grinned at them as he moved. He wouldn't have been surprised to see them salute their little leader with the firmness of Hetty's order.

Callen and Kim followed Hetty to her desk in silence.

"Now," Hetty said, as she sat down and looked up at them. "Are you two going to be able to do this?"

"Of course," Kim answered at the same time as Callen said, "Yes."

Hetty looked carefully between the two of them. Again, Callen had that feeling that Hetty was seeing more than he wanted her to.

"If either of you feel this is too personal," Kim closed her eyes briefly at Hetty's words, trying not to look at Callen, "speak now, or I will expect both of you to keep this professional ... or else," Hetty warned.

Neither of them said anything.

"Good. I will have your holiday wardrobe ready in the morning. Eric will organise your I.D's upstairs. If you would care to check them over and make sure he hasn't missed anything before he issues them," Hetty said, by way of dismissing the two of them. They turned and headed towards the stairs.

"Does he usually?" Kim asked Callen.

"No," Callen replied as he let Kim go first up the stairs. He had a feeling walking on the same step as her would have been pushing his luck. She seemed to want space between them. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

"What do you have for us Eric?" Callen asked as they walked in.

Eric spun on his chair and looked at them. "Joesph and Bella Cartwright," he said.

Callen felt the tension in the air increase at the name. It wasn't only from Kim though, it was also from him.

Kim shook her head. "No. Not Bella."

Eric frowned. "What's the problem with Bella?" he asked. "It's pretty."

"It's what I was the last time we worked together," Kim replied. "Not a good idea to put the same name to the same face."

_Yeah right. You've had times where you've repeated a name. More than once._

Eric glanced between the two of them. He could obviously sense the tension and was trying to figure out what was going on. He turned back to his computer. "Sorry, didn't know that."

Kim shrugged. "Not your fault," she assured Eric. "The files are sealed, so you shouldn't know anyway."

"Any requests then?" Eric asked. They both shook their heads. "No? Random name generator it is," Eric added as he hit some keys.

"Caroline?"

"No," Callen replied. He'd gone on a date once with a Caroline and she was nothing like Kim.

"Sigrid?"

Kim rolled her eyes, "No." That was the name of someone she'd hated in school.

"Allison?"

"hmmm..." came Kim's half-hearted response. Could work.

"Beth?"

"That'll do," Callen said as he looked at Kim. He could see her as a Beth.

"They'll be ready in an hour, along with your back story," Eric said.

Kim frowned. "What about backstopping? How far?" she asked Eric.

Eric turned to her and smiled, looking rather confident with himself. "Far enough that even a search as deep as a presidential candidate would have to go through, would pass." Eric was pleased with what he had set up and done so far, but his smile dropped at Kim's response.

"Make it deeper," she said.

"Why?" Eric asked. Callen was curious too. What Eric was suggesting was more than deep enough.

"Because there are children out there whose lives depend on this being believable," Kim stated simply.

Callen saw something akin to fear flash across Eric's face. Although Eric didn't talk much about his family, Callen knew he had a younger cousin, about the age of these girls. Eric nodded. "Yes ma'am, deeper it will be."

"Thanks Eric," Kim said with a gentle smile for the tech geek, who blushed. Callen bit back a remark he was preparing for Eric at the look Kim shot him, as she turned to leave.

He followed and once he was walking beside her he said, "It wasn't a big deal about you being Bella again."

_Maybe not for you. _Kim remained silent and kept walking. She had no idea where she was going right now, but stopping wasn't an option.

"I'm used to calling you that," Callen added.

"It's been fifteen years G. Bella doesn't exist anymore," she told him. Kim sped up her pace, walked quickly away from him and down the stairs.

Callen heard the pain in her voice but didn't have a chance to stop her and ask what she meant. He watched her walk down the stairs, saw her briefly glance up at him as she neared the bottom and then she disappeared. To where he wasn't quite sure. He lent against the pillar and stared down at the office below, not really seeing it. He was lost in his thoughts about her when he felt someone stand next to him. He looked over to see Nate standing there looking at him, looking puzzled and concerned.

_Great, Nate picked up on everything in there this morning._

"Have trouble choosing a tie today Nate?" Callen asked.

Nate frowned and looked down. Callen chuckled. Nate wasn't actually wearing a tie.

"Don't worry Nate. Kensi still thinks you look cute, even if you aren't in a suit," Callen added as he turned and walked away. He wasn't in the mood for Nate's questions and, honestly, he'd had enough of Nate's advice for the day, even if it wasn't directly from the man himself.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N - Bit of a long one this time, so get comfy ;-)_

_Thanks for the support on this story._

_Hope you like what I've done with your ideas TXJ._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 5**

Kim found a quiet place at a desk, pulled out her phone and dialed. She held it up to her ear as she waited for it to be answered, wondering how on earth she was going to do this assignment. She knew she had to, she knew she would. She just didn't know how she was going to survive being with him like that again.

"Hi Kimmy," came the voice on the other end of the phone.

"Did you know I'd be working with him?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

"Him?"

"Callen," she clarified.

There was silence for a moment on both ends of the phone. She knew from his what the answer would be.

"Yes," came the reluctant response.

Kim closed her eyes and put her head back against the chair. "You didn't try and stop it?" she asked, opening her eyes again to look at the intricate details on the office dividing walls, that is if you could call them walls.

"Would you really have wanted me to? I know how you feel about special treatment."

She sighed. He was right. She would have hated him to interfere."You could have warned me, Uncle Toby," she said, her tone sad.

"I'm sorry," her uncle said gently.

Kim turned and looked around to see Callen and Sam standing nearby watching her. Her stomach knotted, wondering just how much of the conversation he had heard. She sat up straight and said quickly, "Got to go."

"Good luck," came her uncle's response.

Kim smiled slightly, even though he couldn't see it. "Thanks," she said and hung up. She turned to face the two men who were watching her.

"Running to your uncle to pull you out of the fire?" Callen asked.

He shouldn't have said anything but he didn't seem to have a whole lot of control of what came out of his mouth around her. Not that he would admit it to anyone, especially Hetty, but he was having trouble with the idea that he had to work with her again. It wasn't that he thought she wasn't up to the job. It was the undercover side of being back in that situation. He kept remembering what had happened, how he had got her hurt. There was a part of him that was hoping to push her so far that she wanted out. He didn't know if that was to protect her or him.

"Back off Callen," Kim snapped again.

Sam frowned and looked between the two of them.

Callen could see she was having trouble with him too, maybe it wouldn't take much. Surely the FBI had someone else as capable. So he pushed on. "How many times has he had to pull you out?" He'd kept an eye on her for a year after he'd left. Knew that her uncle had pulled her out of a few missions before she had finally got settled.

Kim pushed the seat back as she stood up and turned to face him. "He's family. It's what he does, but you wouldn't know anything about that would you?"

Kim regretted it the moment the words came out of her mouth. She saw the fleeting look of pain flash across his face, before she walked out, trying not to brush past him as she fled. No one else would have noticed, but she knew. She'd seen it before. His weakness; that lack of family that he wanted so much. There had been a time when she had hoped she could give that to him, not a past one but a future one. A time when she'd actually believed that he cared about her.

Kim made her way outside, lent back against the wall and closed her eyes.

_What's the matter with me? I'm more professional than this. Anyone who witnessed that would think this was my first assignment._

She never let emotions become involved in a job. Not since...

"Miss Donovan." Kim's eyes flew open at the sound of Hetty's voice. She'd thought she was alone.

"Yes Hetty," she replied.

Hetty walked closer and stood next to her, leaning against the wall in a similar fashion. "Are you all right?" she asked.

Was she all right? _Not really._

"Fifteen years is a long time, but it feels like yesterday," Kim answered truthfully, her voice soft.

Hetty saw the raw emotions on Kim's face and gently asked, "Would you like me to take you off this case?"

Kim looked over at Hetty and shook her head. "No. I can do this. I just … I have to do this," she repeated.

Hetty frowned. There was such a desperation in her voice. She pressed on, needing to find out for herself if Kim was capable of handling this assignment. If that meant digging into what was obviously a painful past for this agent, so be it.

"May I ask what happened the last time you saw him?" Hetty asked.

Kim wanted to fight against that memory, but it flashed before her eyes too quickly. Him, chained to the floor in a cold windowless, stone room; beaten, bleeding and barely conscious. Him, lying pale on the hospital bed, machines helping him do what his body couldn't at the time. Him, not knowing she was there.

"Nothing, it was in the hospital," she said, when the memories stopped and gave her a chance to speak.

Hetty frowned. Kim had previously told her that she hadn't seen him in the hospital, at least that was what she had assumed from their previous conversation. "Fifteen years ago?" Hetty asked, to confirm those details.

Kim shook her head and admitted, "Ten."

Hetty thought for a moment. "Ah, Russia." She'd been over what records she could access of the FBI agent and had found that time-frame was familiar and she had researched further into it, locating a small connection with Callen.

Kim looked at Hetty, eyebrows raised. Hetty gave a small smile.

"You, Agent Gibbs and Agent Fornell took some personal time ten years ago," Hetty started. "At the same time. Coinciding with a time when Agent Callen was having some ... difficulties in Russia. I take it you were part of the extraction team."

Kim looked at Hetty in amazement that the woman could put all that together from the simple timing of leave. "Yes," Kim confirmed.

"May I ask why?"

Why? That was the million dollar question that she had never really been able to answer truthfully, even to herself. So, she gave Hetty the answer she had given everyone else.

"Gibbs needed to go off grid to get him back. He needed help. He called my uncle. My uncle called me."

"You said yes," Hetty added, her tone curious.

Kim turned back to face Hetty. "What was I supposed to do Hetty? Sit at home and twiddle my thumbs whilst they went to get him. Whilst he, or they, possibly died. I could help, why wouldn't I say yes."

"Perhaps because you hated him," Hetty supplied.

Kim shook her head. "I never hated him. Just what he did." _Wanted to, but all I could hate was the way he left, what he made me feel and think._

"Does he know?" Hetty asked, interrupting Kim's thoughts.

"No. That was the deal. They promised me they would never tell him. It was the only way I would agree to go," Kim answered. _You know you would have gone anyway._

Hetty stood up and moved away from the wall, sensing the conversation would soon come to an end. Kim had volunteered a lot of information just now and Hetty felt that the walls would come up soon if she kept pressing. She didn't want that.

"Perhaps things would have been different if you had told him," Hetty said.

Kim felt the ache in her heart that was always then when she thought about how things could have been different.

"Hetty, if I thought it would have made a difference, I would have been holding his hand when he woke up. I left as soon as the doctors said he'd make it." She'd spent a couple of days in his room, sitting as far away from his bed as she could get a chair, just to be there. Whenever he had shown signs of stirring, she had quickly left and waited outside until she knew the nurse had administered more sedatives. She hadn't been brave enough to risk him finding her there.

"He didn't see you during the extraction?"

Kim shook her head. "You couldn't tell who we were. Gibbs did the talking, it was a voice he could trust. Please Hetty," she begged. "Don't tell him."

Hetty agreed reluctantly. "As you wish, however that is something I feel that you _should_ tell him." Hetty started to turn away as she added, "We shall be having another briefing in ten minutes."

"I'll be there," Kim answered as she put her head back against the wall.

Hetty nodded and left the agent in peace.

After a couple of minutes, Kim pushed herself away from the wall and went back inside. She knew what she had to do.

~~~~~~~~~o

Callen felt the flash of pain at her words, but quickly buried it. He watched Kim walk away. He'd pushed her too far, he knew better than that. She only struck out when she was backed into a corner. She'd never deliberately hurt him.

_She might not have before, but she's changed. Maybe that has too._

The nickname suggested she wasn't the warm and friendly girl he'd first met.

"Whose her uncle?" Sam asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Callen looked at him. "Fornell," he answered.

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yeah," Callen replied as he went to sit down at his desk. Sam moved to his and looked over to him.

"Is that why she's where she is?" Sam asked.

"No." Callen shook his head. " I'm sure she got where she is on her own. She always hated the thought that people would think he'd helped her." They'd had a few conversations about it when they'd been together. Callen continued, "I think she'd prefer they thought she'd slept her way to where she was, rather than have to deal with them thinking it was because of a family favour."

Sam looked at him with an expression that told Callen that Sam was wanting answers and he'd better comply.

"How well do you know her?"

"Used to know her well," Callen answered.

"Hmmm," Sam prompted.

Callen let out a small sigh and continued. "We spent eight months undercover as a couple. Before that, there was a couple of weeks where we tested whether she was ready for it. She was a new agent. But that's what we needed. Someone good, but not a face that anyone would have seen yet." He hoped that would satisfy Sam's curiosity.

"She was good enough?" The questions continued.

_Apparently not._

"She was very good," Callen answered. She'd been just as good as he had, slipping into roles, noticing things that weren't quite what they were supposed to be. If he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was an experienced agent rather than a rookie.

"What was that about Kid?"

A smile spread slowly across Callen's face as he remembered things from back then. "A private joke," he responded.

Sam tilted his head. "She didn't find it funny." There was that look again.

Resigned to giving Sam what he wanted, Callen explained.

"When I first met her, she was twenty two. Her team mates referred to her as The Kid or Agent Kid. She was the newest and the youngest. Made sense. Except it wasn't what they were meaning."

"What were they meaning?" Sam asked leaning forward onto his desk, obviously curious.

Callen smiled again. "Her full name is Kimberly Isabella Donovan."

Sam frowned. Callen could almost see the wheels turning in Sam's mind and saw the smile when he worked it out.

"K … I … D. Agent Kid. Bet she loved that."

"Depends who said it," Callen replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

_Flashback - Callen and Kim's first meeting._

"What can you tell me about Agent Donovan?" Callen asked the two agents sitting at the other table as they were waited for Donovan to arrive. He'd read her file, but he knew that files didn't tell you everything.

"The Kid," Agent Simon Bracken responded. "She's good. Got potential but she hasn't been around much." Simon frowned and asked him, "Why are you thinking of putting the kid out there for this?"

Callen could understand the concern that he could read on both the agents faces. They obviously liked Agent Donovan and were concerned as she had only finished her training a month ago.

"She's what we need. An unknown face. There's nobody out there yet who can link her with anything," Callen answered.

Agent Neil Fletcher shook his head. "She's not going to be happy about being tested."

Callen shrugged. "She wants to do this mission, she'll do them. Happy or not."

Simon sat forward in his chair and looked at him intently. "The kid's not that tough. Not yet anyway. Great at acting. Did it all through school. Don't know why she didn't stay in that field. She's too pretty for this one."

Callen was about to ask more when Agent Donovan walked in. He looked her over quickly and had to agree with Simon's assessment. She was pretty. Strawberry blonde, shoulder length, wavy hair. Blue eyes. Body with tempting curves and skin that looked would feel extremely soft under his fingers. He stopped his thoughts there as they were turning a little personal. Admiring the body, fine. Imagining the feel under his fingers, probably should hold off on those thoughts for now.

"Hey Kid," Neil said.

Callen chuckled and Kim turned to look over at him. "What?" she asked.

"Is Kid the name you go by? That's all they seem to use," Callen asked as he glanced to the two agents behind her and back again.

Kim rolled her eyes and turned back to Neil Fletcher and Simon Bracken.

"Seriously guys? Can you grow up?" she told them and turned back to Callen.

"Kid is _not_ my name," she stated.

"What is?" he asked her, a smile on his face. She returned it easily.

"Kimberly," she answered.

"Kimberly Isabella Donovan," Simon elaborated.

"Agent Kid for short." Neil added. Callen had noticed the tone behind the two agent's teasing. They definitely liked their fellow agent, even though she had been with them for a short time.

Kim rolled her eyes and Callen smiled at her again. "Pretty name. No wonder you don't like Kid," he said.

She blushed slightly. "I don't mind Kid, depending on who it's coming from." She tilted her head to indicate Simon and Neil as she continued. "These idiots seem to find it highly amusing."

"What about me?" he asked.

Callen watched as she looked him over. He wasn't entirely sure if she knew exactly who he was, but she seemed to like what she saw and held back a smile as she answered, "Don't know."

Patiently he waited for her to continue. He watched as the smile on her face came out. She really did have a beautiful smile.

"Maybe. Depends on how you say it."

He raised his eyebrows at her answer and couldn't help but wonder what she was suggesting with the mischievous tone that she said it with.

_End of flashback_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0

Kim found Callen in the break room. He was in the middle of making himself some coffee when he heard her voice behind him. He hadn't heard any footsteps.

"G," Kim said tentatively.

Callen turned around. She was standing in the doorway, looking nervous. There was a sadness in her eyes too.

"I was out of line. That was ... I'm sorry," Kim continued when he didn't say anything.

Callen shrugged. "Don't apologise. It's a sign -"

"Sign of weakness. Rule number six," Kim finished with a small smile.

Callen raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously. "You know Gibbs?" he asked.

Kim gave a small shrugged and replied, "Worked with him a few times." She didn't add anymore, even with Hetty's request making itself known in her mind.

Callen glanced at her hair which had definitely darkened since that first meeting. A familiar feeling flared through him, just like it had fifteen years ago. Jealousy. Gibbs and redheads.

"At least tell me you aren't one of his ex's," slipped out before he even knew what he was going to say. He appeared to be doing that a lot since she had stumbled back into his life.

Callen's comment undid all the control Kim had built back up. She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them Callen saw her blue eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to apologise but she spoke first.

"At least I can be sure if I was, he'd be decent enough to stick around until I woke up in the hospital, rather than..." Kim stopped, turned and left abruptly.

"Bella," Callen called but she was gone. _You idiot. _Only this time the voice didn't sound anything like Nate or Sam. Because he didn't need the psychologist or his partner to tell him he'd said the wrong thing. He could tell himself that.

Kim ran to the bathroom and her stomach heaved. But, having not had anything since breakfast, there was nothing to get rid of. She splashed her face with cold water and then lent back against the wall, sliding down onto the tiled floor. She pulled her knees up and put her head down on them, as she tried desperately to stop the pain in her chest. Deep breathing, thinking about something else, she even tried singing some stupid song in her head but none of it worked. She couldn't fight off the memory of the moment she knew he was gone, that he hadn't cared about her at all.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

_Memory begins._

Her eyes finally opened and she looked through the haze that seemed to be over them, to see her uncle holding her hand. She blinked a few times and things cleared a little.

"G?" she croaked out through an extremely dry throat. She hurt, but she didn't care what damage there was from the bullet. She needed to know he was all right.

"He's fine," her uncle assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Where?" she asked. It was so hard to get her voice to work.

He shook his head.

She frowned at his reaction. "Where?" she asked him again, her voice slightly stronger.

"He's gone Kimmy."

"Gone?" She tried to sit up, to look around, but it hurt too much. Adding to that, her uncle had stood up and was holding her down gently, urging her to stay still.

She looked up at him and willed her voice to work. She needed to know. "What? To eat, to sleep? What do you mean, gone?" she begged.

"Gone. He left."

"No." She shook her head. "No, he wouldn't." She felt the tears push against her eyes. She didn't care. Her uncle must be lying. He wouldn't just leave. Not after everything they'd been through, everything that had happened between them.

"He has," her uncle confirmed again.

She shook her head again. "No." The tears started to fall.

"He changed agencies, moved away," he added.

Her heart started to ache. "He...Did he..." She couldn't get anymore words out.

"No, he didn't leave a number."

She didn't know what hurt more, the pain in her stomach from the bullet or the pain in her heart. It felt like a knife cutting it in half and the sobs that followed only hurt more.

"No," she moaned.

The sobs took over her body, became stronger and more uncontrolled. Her body arched off the bed with her cry, only to change direction, as she tried to curl into a ball, to try and stop herself from breaking. How could he leave her?

"_Personal? It's a job Bella. That's all this is." _She heard his words in her mind so clearly.

She heard the scream come from her throat, heard her uncle try and calm her down but she couldn't. Her world was falling apart This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. The medical staff came in quickly and sedated her. She heard the nurse say something about keeping still or she'd rip her stitches. She didn't care if she did. It couldn't hurt anymore than it did now. Perhaps it would even be welcome relief. Something else to take her mind off him.

Slowly everything went dark and her last thought was 'He left me. He didn't care. It was all just an act.'

_Memory ends._


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N - Here you go TXJ, a little something extra to help._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 6**

Kim walked into the Ops Centre once she felt sufficiently calm. She avoided looking at Callen, went and stood at the other end of the table, as she waited for the briefing to start. Thankfully she wasn't late. She had a feeling Hetty wouldn't be happy with that.

Callen watched her, standing apart from everyone, not looking at him. Sam noticed and nudged him.

"What?" he asked his partner.

"What's up with you two? Sam asked quietly.

Callen shook his head. "Don't worry about it Sam," he said. Sam gave him one of those stares that said 'Not good enough', and was about to continue when Hetty walked in, garnering Sam's attention.

"So, when do we get started Hetty?" Sam asked.

Hetty smiled. "We already have Mr Hanna. As for the actual undercover part of the operation, that starts tomorrow. Mr Callen and Miss Donovan will be moving into the hotel as Joseph and Beth Cartwright." Hetty turned her attention to the two of them, slightly difficult since they were so far apart. She frowned at that, wondering if they would sort themselves out before tomorrow.

"You two are booked in for one week. Your anniversary is Wednesday. Your sole aim is to get an invitation to that restaurant for that night from Mr Richards. You have two days to do it. Remember, you have been married for sixteen years and this is a rare chance for the two of you to be alone." Hetty saw Kim's eyes briefly glance toward Callen and she caught the nervous reaction that the female agent gave at her words. "Play up the romance, get noticed and get that invitation. As you already know we have no time to lose." They both nodded their agreement and Hetty saw the determination in Kim's eyes and felt a small amount of her concern dissipate with it.

Hetty turned to Kensi and Sam.

"Mr Hanna. You will be their back up. We have another room booked, one floor up. You will be there through the night. Your cover - Mr Johnson, business man. You will have meetings through the day taking you out of the hotel. During which, you will join Miss Blye on surveillance from the outside of the hotel. Whether Miss Blye needs to be in the hotel room at night, I will leave up to the two of you, but you are to remain close to the our holidaying couple at all times, in case you are required. We will not underestimate anything on this case." She turned back to Callen and Kim. "Please do them the honour of letting them know where you plan on going before you leave. If whoever is behind this is tracking you, we do not want them to realise you are being followed by someone else."

All four agents glanced at each other and nodded.

Kim eyed Callen when he wasn't watching her and saw the trust that he had for the other two agents and relaxed slightly. Working with an entirely new team was hard, but knowing they trusted each other certainly helped.

"We will have another team monitoring Gavin Richards movements with the hope that it may enlighten us more as to who he is working for."

Hetty turned to the DEA Agent and Callen enjoyed the moment watching him as Hetty made her orders for him clear.

"Agent Matthews, you are to co-ordinate with the DEA. Ensure communications are clear. If they learn anything new, I need to know about it five minutes ago. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Matthews replied. Callen heard Sam quietly chuckle at the tone of the response. It appeared that Matthews was trying to get into Hetty's good books with his enthusiasm.

"Eric, have you been in touch with the FBI liaison in their office?" Hetty asked.

"Yep. All set," Eric responded. "They will have someone online and available for us twenty four seven until this is over."

Hetty nodded. "Excellent. Are there any question before you learn your roles?" she asked them, as she put the files for Callen, Kim and Sam on the table.

Callen straightened up and asked, "Why aren't we going today, if time is so critical?"

"Because you need time to get to know your story and your alias. It was a choice between the risk of not being prepared enough, or a need to work quicker," Hetty responded.

"Why didn't the FBI send someone here? Aside from B - Kim?" Callen continued, managing to correct her name quickly.

Kim answered this one. "Because the information is quicker to access when he knows the systems. It will be easier and faster for him to find it and then send it to Eric, rather than try and find it here. Learning how to navigate a new system takes time we do not have."

Callen finally asked the question he'd been wanting to all day. He directed it at Kim, not Hetty as his previous ones had been.

"Why you?"

"Excuse me?" Kim frowned at him. He also saw the tension build in her and wondered whether he was pushing his luck.

"Why did they send you? You don't live in L.A, you don't know the area. Surely there was someone closer who would have done," he continued.

_Oh man, you pushed it too far now. _Sam again.

There was fury in her eyes and her tone was disbelieving, bordering on angry. "Would have done? They sent me because..." She shook her head at him. "You know what, I'm not going to bother. I'm here. I'll do the job. If you have a problem with that...quit," she finished. Her gaze holding his, daring him to do it.

The room was silent, not even a key press from Eric. The tension palpable, as every one wondered where this would go.

"I don't have a problem," Callen replied in as calm a voice as he could manage.

"Seems like it," Kim replied, still staring him down. _Make him look away first._

"Enough." Hetty's command broke the mood between the two of them as they turned their attention to her. "Learn your roles. Remember what I said," Hetty demanded.

"Sorry Hetty," Callen apologised.

"Sorry," Kim added softly as she reached for her file and walked out quickly, furious with herself.

_Why do I let him get to me? Just focus on Casey and the other girls. Forget him. Remember them. Pretend he is someone else. Pretend you are someone else. How hard can that really be? You pretend you're someone else all the time._

Kim found her way to the break room, hoping for some peace to learn her knew role. It was there that Callen found her about an hour later.

"You know who you are yet?" Callen asked as he lent against the doorway and looked at Kim. He'd actually been standing there watching her for a couple of minutes. He wasn't sure if she had been deliberately ignoring him or was too absorbed with what she was reading.

Callen guessed the former when she didn't even look up or seem shocked that he was there as she responded.

"I'm who I need to be."

"Who's that?" Callen asked.

Kim looked up at him and said, "For now. Beth Cartwright."

Callen moved further into the room and took the risk to sit down on the couch with her, admittedly he made sure to sit at the other end.

"Who's she?" he asked.

Kim rolled her eyes but answered. "Thirty eight, married, has own accounting business. Works from home. One child. Parents living in Chicago. Married to Jo Cartwright, Business Consultant, who travels regularly. Your parents live in San Diego, but are currently here looking after fourteen year old Victoria whilst we have a small holiday after a rather stressful time with work. You've been gone a couple of months and I've had to deal with an audit of my business due to a disgruntled client who wasn't happy with his latest tax refund," she summed up. "Who are you?" she asked.

"Jo?" Callen asked, referring to her shortening his name. Kim rolled her eyes and almost smiled.

"Come on, as if Joseph suits you," she said.

He smiled back at her response and saw her pull back. _This wasn't going to be easy, breaking down these walls with her_.

"Jo Cartwright, Business consultant, just returned from two months in London. Desperately looking for some alone time with his wife so is taking her away for a week so he can enjoy her," Callen replied to her query.

Kim raised her eyebrows at the last part, desperately hoping he hadn't notice the heat that she felt in her cheeks at what that last part of his answer had suggested.

"What?" Callen asked at her look. "Don't think that's a plausible reason for a husband whisking his wife away to some flashy hotel? Especially after he hasn't seen her in two months."

Kim stood up and turned to him. "Note, flashy hotel. Perhaps you should make sure your behaviour fits where you are taking your wife." She needed to get out. This conversation was definitely heading in a direction she wasn't ready for.

"My behaviour will fit what Jo Cartwright wants the world to see, in particular Gavin Richards," Callen replied as he stood up as well.

"Which is?" Kim asked as she turned back to face him.

"Crazy about his wife."

Kim didn't reply, just looked at him as she fought of the memories of the last mission they'd been on and how well he'd played that role, even if she hadn't been his wife in it.

"Perhaps you should make sure your behaviour is similar," Callen continued.

The memories fled and she felt the frustration with him and herself returned. "Are suggesting again, that I can't do this?"

Callen watched the fire in her eyes. He really couldn't believe that she had changed so much to warrant the Ice Queen imaged that Matthews had suggested.

"No," he answered. "I'm suggesting you work with me and make sure we match."

Kim tensed. "I know how to do this Callen. It's not like I've never been out in the field before."

"Let's hope you've improved since then," Callen replied. _You really should get one of those all day suckers, help keep your mouth shut. _Sam again.

"Meaning what?" Kim snapped. "I wasn't good enough back then? You chose me, not the other way around."

"That's not - I'm sorry," Callen said as he took a step forward to her, rule number six be damned.

Kim backed away. "If you're worried it might get personal, don't. I got taught by the best not to get involved," her tone bitter and filled with pain. With that, Kim turned and left.

Callen watched her go, wanting to pull her back and make everything right.

_I did this to her. Leaving, not saying goodbye. It was a mistake … Yeah? Which one? … Both_

If the Ice Queen image was true, he had a horrible feeling he was to blame.

Kim avoided him for the rest of the day, until it came time to eat. Hetty had brought in some Chinese takeaway and they all sat together. Kim found a place which put her off to the side of everyone, eating quietly and not joining in the conversation. Which was so far from the friendly, warm Bella, Callen had once known.

"Mr Callen," Hetty raised her voice to get his attention.

Callen looked up. "Sorry Hetty, what's up?"

Hetty's eyes narrowed at him and she glanced briefly toward Kim before she spoke. "The couch will not be free tonight. You will need to go home."

"Sure," he agreed, not really thinking about it. He turned his attention back to Sam and Kensi and their conversation. He hadn't realised he'd zoned out so much. A movement caught his attention and he turned to see Kim stand up and leave. Callen wondered about going after her to try and talk, but Sam asked him a question and he returned to the conversation.

It was only later that night, after everyone had left and he'd finished up his paperwork and preparation for tomorrow, that he finally remembered what Hetty had told him. It was 11.30 and he decided to just crash on the couch rather than go home. He walked in and stopped. Kim was there, already asleep.

_That would be why I was supposed to go home._

Callen stepped closer and pulled the blanket up over her to keep her warm. He stood there for a moment and watched her sleep. He could see the girl he'd left behind now; the soft, warm, gentle and talented girl he'd tried so hard to forget. But she wasn't like that anymore. Because of him. He went and sat down on the chair opposite. He continued to watch her and think; about her, about them.

Callen remembered how easily they had slipped into the role of couple, like it was written just for them. At first, he'd just thought it was because they were both good at what they did; even if she was only a new agent, having never been out in the field like this before. But slowly, he'd started to realise that he didn't have a problem playing her boyfriend, partner, lover, because he wasn't playing. He fought it, never said anything to her about how it was more than just a job to him. He'd made such a big deal out of how you needed to stay professional and she seemed to be doing that, so he'd played along. It wasn't until the morning after that first night where the 'relationship' had progressed to lovers for real, that he had started to notice in her eyes that this was more. Again, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to do anything to jeopardise the mission. Well, that wasn't entirely true. What he didn't want to do was ask her about it and find out he was reading it all wrong. When the mission was over, when they'd finished, he'd tell her then. But it hadn't worked out that way. Things hadn't worked out happily every after as he'd hoped.

_A/N 2 - Up next - some flashbacks to those tests Kim had to pass when she first met Callen._


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N - Okay, here is the little flashback to the tests that Kim had to go through. Just a bit of fun. Hope it helps TXJ._

_Now I'm off to sort out a chapter for Compromised, before I get into too much trouble over there!_

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 7**

_Fifteen years ago._

_The assignment_

"So I have to pass a test?" Kim glanced from her boss to Callen. "You mean the ones that I just went through weren't good enough?" she asked him.

"Told you she wasn't going to be happy," Neil said with a slight chuckle and grin.

"Hey," Kim turned and glared at him. "Didn't say I wasn't happy." She turned back to her boss and continued. "Just if you are going to put us through those tests only to do more, why not just do them all before you bring us into work."

Director Michaels shook his head. "You've been here a month Donovan. Hopefully you've learned something, even in that short space of time. These tests are particularly relevant to the mission that we want you on. It's long term, so we need to make sure that the right person is on the job with Agent Callen."

Kim turned her gaze to Callen, her eyes staying on him even though her question was directed to her boss. "How do you know he's the right person?" Her tone challenging.

Callen tilted his head, a smile spreading slowly on his face. "Not interested in working with me?" he asked.

Her eyes twinkled and he saw the smile she was trying to hold back. "I'm interested," she replied as her eyes wandered over him. He caught the slight blush as she looked back at his face and he raised an eyebrow in question. She smiled as she continued. "Just wondering what was in the job description."

"I passed," he replied. She was going to be interesting to work with. The obvious attraction between the two of them would definitely help them portray the role of a couple.

"And?" she asked.

"Enough Donovan," Michaels reprimanded her, before he could answer her query. She turned to look at her boss again. So did he. "Callen knows what he's doing. You'll learn a lot working with him."  
"I'm sure I will," Kim answered. "So what's first?"

"Dinner tonight. You and me," Callen said, bringing her attention back to him.

Kim raised her eyebrows. "You're taking me on a date without even asking?"

Neil and Simon chuckled. Callen narrowly avoided joining them.

"Not a date," he replied. "And not just us. There will be five other agents, from a different department that you have never met, in the room watching. Test is, you need to spot them and let me know who they are, without them realising you've made them."

Kim shrugged as if it was no big deal. "And when that's done? Do I still get to eat?" she asked.

"Are you suggesting it won't take you long to find them?" he asked. There was definitely a playful banter developing between the two of them. He was even starting to wonder if they needed to do these tests after all. They seemed to fit together. His mind wandered a little to the physical possibilities of that thought.

"Just want to make sure I get my priorities right." Her comment pulled him back from those thoughts.

"Your priorities?" Callen asked, not quite following her line of thought. Too busy thinking about things other than her mind.

"Yeah," Kim smiled at him and Callen almost got the feeling she knew what he was thinking. He hoped not.

Kim continued, "What if you take me to a really nice place that there is just no way on my pitiful salary," she glanced briefly at her boss as she said that, before returning her eyes to Callen, "I could afford to go to myself. Girl might have to make the most of it and eat first."

Even though he hadn't known her long, barely half an hour, he could tell she was teasing. There was a major hint of mischief in her voice.

"I promise you can eat. Just do the test first," Callen said as seriously as he could under the circumstances. Those being the two 'teenage' agents who looked like they were dying from suppressed laughter over the conversation. The Director even looked like he was having trouble resisting the urge to smile.

"They leave after the test is over, right?" Kim asked. She was completely ignoring her boss. They both were, eyes locked together almost like they were in little battle over who would look away first.

"Right," he agreed.

"Good," she replied.

"Why?" Callen asked.

Kim smiled but didn't answer him this time. She just turned back to her boss and asked, "How many of these tests do I have to go through?"

"There is at least three, over the next week. If you pass, you'll have a week to get prepared for this mission," Michaels answered.

"If I don't?"

"You will," Callen answered confidently.

Kim turned to look at him again, a slight tilt to her head. "Really?" she asked softly.

"Really," he repeated. He liked this girl. He was sure she would be perfect for what he needed. They needed, he corrected himself quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_The first test_

They got their drinks from the bar and sat down on one of the comfortable leather sofa's, whilst they waited for their table to be ready. Kim took a sip of her white wine spritzer, whilst he had a beer.

"What else should we be doing?" Kim asked as she turned slightly to face him, now that they were seated. "Are we on a first date or just a work dinner?" She was sitting close enough that her body brushed slightly against his arm.

Callen smiled. "Could always pretend it's a first date. Won't hurt to get to know each other, just in case you pass." She had been the one to bring up the date idea earlier today. He already knew she was fun, talented (if the report from her training was anything to go by), beautiful. All of that, and the time spent with her earlier this afternoon had been enough to decide on whether he would be working with her. He knew he would, but the tests were a requirement, a precaution to make sure they could work together.

"So you want to know about the real me?" she asked.

"Who else?" he replied and took a sip of his drink.

She took another of hers then placed it on the small table in front of them, moving back to a position next to him where she was turned even further into him. Her body language giving off the vibe that she was definitely interested in him. He moved his arm to rest along the back of the seat, allowing her the chance to move closer if she wanted.

"Won't that confuse you when we start working together?" she asked him.

"I think I can handle it," he assured her, as he wondered if she actually remembered she was supposed to be doing a test.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

That was a loaded question. There was so much about her that he would like to learn, get to know.

He settled for asking, "Why are you in this job?"

Kim raised her eyebrows. "The truth or what I told them at the interview?"

Callen resisted the urge to frown. "Shouldn't they be one and the same?" he asked. There was no way she could be trained enough yet to fool a lie detector test.

"Both the truth. One the original. The other came later," she added.

"And you still passed?" he teased.

Kim gave a soft laugh. "Like I said, both are the truth."

Callen turned his body slightly toward her as he replied, "So both then."

She had another sip of her drink then as she settled back, she moved in closer, so she was actually sitting against him, rather than just brushing up slightly against him, before she answered.

"Because someone has to fight the bad guys and protect the innocent, and it doesn't always need to be with fists."

So, a girl after his own heart, wanting to get the bad guys. "The other?"

Kim smiled softly and took a moment before replying. "Because of my uncle. He's sacrificed a lot, but he keeps going. Too many bad guys. If I can take down a few," she shrugged, "maybe he can enjoy his retirement one day."

"Whose your uncle?" Callen asked.

"Tobias Fornell."

He raised his eyebrows slightly shocked. She seemed nothing like him. "Fornell is your uncle?"

"Yes," she answered. Callen noticed her response was somewhat tense. "Before you ask, I did pass my training, he didn't pull any strings."

"Wasn't going to say that."

Kim bit her lip and looked at him, apologetic. "Sorry. Bit of a sore point."

That was obvious. "You'll need to get over that," he advised her.

Kim smiled and moved slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder. Callen was pleasantly surprised and slipped his arm around her wondering what she was up to. He didn't have long to wait to find out. Kim turned her head, her body following slightly as she rested her hand on his chest, and placed a gently kiss on his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. She must have felt him tense, because he felt the silent giggle that went through her.

"Red tie, 4 o'clock," she whispered softly as she kissed his neck again, moving slowly up, her body turning into him further with each kiss.

"Glasses, 7 o'clock," and she still continued. She was going very slow and he was enjoying every kiss. Her lips were extremely soft and warm. "Couple, woman, blue dress. 10 o'clock." She was almost at his ear.

"Bartender who made our drinks." She whispered this last one in his ear. "Can we eat now?" Food wasn't exactly what he was hungry for at the moment. He had some difficultly pulling his thoughts back to the mission, reminding himself that this should be professional, not personal.

She pulled back and he looked at her, curious how she did that so quickly, especially since she had been looking at him most of the time.

"Are you positive about your answers?" he asked.

"Yes." She smiled, very sure of herself. She was still in his arms, hand on his chest, though he could feel that one of her fingers had slipped between the buttons and was resting against his skin.

Callen smiled. She was good. "What gave the bartender away?" he asked.

"Not enough wine," Kim smiled as she pointed to her glass, unfortunately for him, that meant her hand moved from his chest and she turned slightly away from him.

He looked up, caught the bartender's eye and nodded. Kim moved and lent back in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder and, as each of the agents left, she gave them a small wave of her fingers. Unless someone knew she was doing it, they wouldn't have noticed.

"Very good," Callen said softly, near her ear. "Only been here five minutes."

Kim turned her head slightly and looked at him. He had a hard time focusing on her words. Those soft, warm lips of hers were very close to his own and he very much wanted to know what they would feel like under his.

"Told you it wouldn't take me long," she said, her gaze dropping to his lips.

Before he could say or do anything, a waiter came over and interrupted them.

"Sir, you're table is ready."

"Thank you," he said, as they moved apart and stood up to follow the waiter to the table that had just been recently vacated by one couple with a woman in a blue dress.

~~~~~~~~~o

_The second test (and the third)_

"So what's next?" Kim asked him as they danced. It had been another dinner out. This time, she'd had to make sure that the people around them believed they were actually together. If she could do it now, with not much preparation then she shouldn't have any trouble with the mission.

"Meaning?" Callen asked as he looked down at her.

"Well, I've passed this test, right? The looks we're getting from everyone suggest they believe we're a couple. Are there anymore tests?"

He smiled. She was very perceptive, she had indeed passed this second test.

"Just one Agent Kid," he said softly as he continued to look at her. She had her hair up this time, leaving a nice expanse of her neck free that was begging to be kissed. He hadn't, not yet anyway.

Kim was frowning at him and shook her head slightly. "You know, the whole Kid thing from you. Not working," she told him.

"You don't like the way I say it?" Callen asked, eyebrows raised and curious.

Kim smiled. "No, you say it very well. It's more that I don't feel like a kid with you."

"What do you feel like?" he asked. Aside from extremely soft, he thought as he lightly ran his fingers down her arm as his other arm held her close to him as they danced slowly. He didn't feel like she was a kid either.

Callen saw her catch her lip between her teeth as she debated her answer. He wondered if she had any idea what that did to him. How much he wanted to do that to her instead. Then she smiled. What she did next made him think that perhaps she might. Kim slipped her arms up around his neck, pulled herself up on her toes, bringing her body in closer contact with his and she kissed him. Not the light or pretend kisses that they'd been doing tonight. But a real one. A very enjoyable, real one.

Kim pulled back, "That."

"What should it be then?" he asked, not making a comment about the kiss, as he slipped a hand up to her neck to hold her close. "Kimberly, Kim," he paused as he thought more about her and her name, then smiled again as he found the perfect name for her, "or Bella?" he suggested softly.

"Bella could work," she agreed.

Callen made the move to kiss her this time, but just before he did, he whispered, "Beautiful," against her lips.

When he pulled back he looked down at her, holding back a smile at the slightly dazed expression on her face. "So happy with Bella?"

"Works for me," she managed to respond.

Callen grinned and added, "By the way you passed."

Kim frowned. "Passed what?"

"Your final test," he said.

"Which was?" Kim looked very confused. He couldn't resist and kissed her again. Slowly, deeply and very real.

"That," Callen added, when he pulled back to allow her to breathe.

"Oh," she replied softly.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N - Big Thanks to TXJ and Scocco for their reviews of the last chapter. Hope there are more of you out there enjoying this story._

_TXJ - I promised that Sam would get to have a chat with Callen, for real. Here it is._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 8**

Callen was asleep in the chair, Kim asleep on the couch when Sam walked in with two cups of coffee the next morning. He put the hot drinks down on the table and stepped back to watch as he cleared his throat. The two of them opened their eyes and Callen straightened up, popping the cricks out of his neck as he did. That chair was so much less comfortable than the couch.

"Time to rise and shine," Sam remarked. "Coffee's on the table." He looked over at Kim, who was slowly sitting up and moving the blanket off her. "Sorry Kim," Sam apologised, "don't know how you like it."

"However it comes," Callen replied for her.

Sam raised his eyebrows. Kim shrugged and picked up a cup, trying not to think anything of the fact that he had remembered that small detail about her.

"Makes things easier not to have to worry about how I like it," Kim added.

Callen bit back a chuckle. That wasn't quite the truth. He caught her glance at him and a small smile briefly crossed her face.

The truth was, she really didn't like coffee, but it did help her wake up, so she had gotten used to not grimacing whenever she had a cup. She'd tried all different types and combinations in an attempt to find something she liked but hadn't succeeded.

"You're strange," Sam replied with a shake of his head.

"Been told that before, nothing new," Kim smiled at him. "Thanks," she added. She hoped the caffiene would kick in quickly this morning. She needed her brain working fast. She took a sip. Ugh. It wasn't the worst she'd had.

"What about donuts?" Callen asked Sam just as he was starting to leave.

Sam glanced at him. "You want donuts G?"

Kim watched the banter between the two of them with interest.

"Could be nice. Go well with coffee," Callen added. He couldn't believe Sam hadn't brought donuts this morning.

Sam grinned, "Grab me one too when you get them."

Callen rolled his eyes and shook his head at his partner's response, as Sam left.

Kim looked over at Callen, taking in the sleepy look, his clothes that weren't quite straight. "Thought you were supposed to go home," she said quietly.

Callen turned his attention back to her. "How do you know I didn't just come in early?"

Kim rolled her eyes. "Come on. If I can't tell that not only are you wearing the same clothes as yesterday, but you also slept in them, I'm in the wrong line of work."

"You're in the same clothes too." Slightly rumpled and a button undone that was done up the last time he saw her. His fingers itching with a desire to fix it. _Fix what exactly? The one that is undone or the ones that are done up? _He shook his head slightly and focused back on what Kim was saying.

"Yes, but I was meant to stay the night," Kim replied. She took another sip of her coffee, and could almost feel her senses starting to wake up properly. Good. She needed to be awake to deal with him. "Why didn't you go home?" she asked him, as she put the coffee back on the table.

Callen shrugged. "It was late, not worth it." _Got thinking about you and feel asleep before I could get up and leave._

Kim frowned. "So you slept in the chair?" Sleeping on the couch was bad enough. Not that she hadn't been on worse, and as far as couches went, this one was probably one of the more comfortable ones she had encountered. She just always preferred sleeping in a bed if there was the option.

"Would you have preferred I joined you on the couch?" Callen automatically teased her, still not completely awake. Turned out she didn't handle teasing well first thing in the morning anymore.

Kim stood up quickly. "Can't you leave it alone?" she snapped and started to leave.

"Bella -" Callen called. She turned back and shook her head at him.

"It's not Bella anymore." Kim briefly closed her eyes, trying to regain some of composure. Opening them, she continued, "Perhaps you'd better start getting used to Beth. Or do I need to ask Hetty to take you off the case?" She turned and walked away again, not waiting for a response. Callen stood up and followed.

"Hey," he said when he got close. She didn't stop. Callen reached out and grabbed hold of her. This time Kim spun him around and pinned him against the wall.

"Don't push me Callen," she demanded, her eyes locked with his and he could see she was mad. Didn't seem like a good night sleep had calmed her down. But then it hadn't done him any good either. He still managed to speak first and think second around her.

"Perhaps you should get used to Joseph," Callen replied, going on the defensive once again. She was breathing heavily, why he wasn't quite sure, but he could feel her brush against his chest as she breathed in, she was that close. It was slightly distracting and his choice of reaction was get defensive or kiss her. He had a feeling the later wouldn't go down well.

"I'm not the one holding onto the past," Kim still holding him against the wall. She wanted to pull back, her mind screamed at her to move away but right now, none of it was making any sense to her body. It was craving this, being close to him again. Fifteen years of nothing then he was back and it was like he'd never left.

_Only he did leave. Remember that. He didn't want you._

"No? Not looking like you've let go from this side of the fence," Callen retorted.

Kim pushed away from him, her eyes blazing with anger again. If only it was solely directed at him she would be happy. Anger she could deal with. Want, desire, need, pain; they were the ones she had trouble with, and they were the ones that were dominating her emotions at the moment, which was why she was mostly angry with herself.

"It would be a hell of lot easier if you didn't keep bringing it up," Kim shot back at him as she continued to put more distance between the two of them.

Callen moved off the wall and calmed his voice. "Maybe we should talk about it," he said.

"Talk?" Kim gave an derisive laugh. "You want to talk about it now?" She couldn't believe he had just said that. After all this time.

"Maybe it's time," Callen suggested and took a small step closer to her, hoping she wouldn't run. But she moved backwards, keeping her distance and shook her head.

"The time to talk was when I woke up in the hospital. Fifteen years ago." _But you weren't there. You left. I meant nothing to you._

"Never too late." Callen stepped closer until there was only a foot in between them. This time she had nowhere to go, the wall was behind her.

Kim pushed him away and turned to go. Callen pulled her back to face him.

"Don't," Kim begged. Callen saw the pain in her eyes and couldn't do anything but let her go. He hated that he'd caused it.

Kim turned and left quickly, trying to calm her breathing before she lost it completely whilst desperately hoping he would actually leave her alone.

Sam watched her leave and saw Callen head back into the break room. He'd heard the encounter between the two of them and needed answers. He decided to follow Kim first.

Sam found her sitting at Kensi's desk, her head in her hands.

"Kim," Sam called to her. She looked up at him and he saw she was fighting back tears.

"What is it Sam?" Kim asked averting her face from his probing gaze. Two sips of coffee wasn't enough for her to have complete control. What was she talking about? With Callen around, an IV of the stuff wouldn't be enough.

Sam moved so he could gauge her reactions. He need to see her face. He watched her brushed away a stray tear.

"You and G," he started gently, attempting not to upset her anymore. "You don't like him. Why not?" Sam asked. What had happened between these two?

_If only it was that simple._

"Perhaps you should ask him that," Kim suggested. _Let him tell you all the gory details._

"I'm asking you." Sam was worried. They were going undercover as a happily married couple. Right now, they were fighting like they were in the process of an extremely messy divorce.

"And I'm not answering. He's your friend," Kim replied.

Sam frowned. "We can't be friends too?" He had a feeling he'd like her, if he had a chance to get to know her. She seemed quite capable with her job and, even with Matthews' comments running through his mind, he didn't see it. He didn't think she was cold.

Kim paused and took a breath. Telling Sam things wasn't the problem. Keeping her emotions under control whilst she did, that was. There was no way she was planning on opening that Pandora's box right now. She had a mission to prepare for. A role she wasn't sure she could play, but one she had to. That box was the last thing she needed to add to the mix.

"That's something else you can ask him about," she added.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked. He moved right in front of her. She looked up at him. "Come on Kim. Help me out here."

Kim closed her eyes. Sam wondered what was going through her mind, wondered if she would actually answer him. He waited patiently. She had heard the determination in his voice and, given he was an ex-seal, she knew that he wouldn't give up. She didn't have the energy to fight right now so she gave him a little.

"He … He taught me not to get involved," she answered slowly. She opened her eyes again and Sam was shocked at the depth of pain he saw in them as she continued. "His lessons were harsh, but effective. So I don't ... Not anymore." She knew he'd see the pain, knew he'd hear the tears in her voice, but she couldn't stop them. She wasn't prepared for this. Didn't know if she would have been prepared even if she had known she was going to be working with him.

What the hell did G do, Sam wondered.

"You loved him," he concluded. What else could cause that kind of pain in someone?

Kim stood up and moved away from the desk. "Please Sam. Don't bring this up again," she advised, though it sounded more like she was begging, as she started to walked away.

"You know he cares about you," Sam told her.

Kim turned and looked at him. She felt the knife twist in her heart again and shook her head. "No, he's a brilliant actor Sam." _Made me believe so much that wasn't real._

"He's not acting," Sam denied.

Kim couldn't say anything, she was too busy fighting against that tiny ray of hope that shone just a little brighter. The one she thought had been completely extinguished. Between that and her heart still hurting, she just couldn't find any words to say.

"Kim," Sam said as he stepped towards her. "I know G. He cares. Guessing you still do too."

Kim shook her head, "Don't try and play matchmaker Sam. It hurt enough last time." She turned and quickly walked away, before she made a complete fool of herself in front of him, if she hadn't already.

Sam watched her go, frowning. He may have gotten some answers, but now he had even more questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Sam headed back to the break room, wondering if he would still find Callen there. Luck was with him. Callen was back sitting in the chair, finishing his coffee. Sam lent against the door frame and looked at his partner, who seemed lost in thought. He cleared his throat again, as he had earlier when he woke them up.

Callen glanced over at the sound. Noting the serious look on Sam's face, he raised his eyebrows in question and waited.

"Okay G, what's the real deal with you and Kim?" Sam asked.

Callen sighed and looked back to his coffee as he answered. "We were undercover Sam, there's nothing to know."

"Bull," Sam raised. Callen looked back to Sam, surprised at the reaction. Sam continued. "If Matthews is right about her being the Ice Queen, you seem to be the only one who can make her melt."

Callen fought back images of her melting that weren't appropriate right now. _If only it was melting. At the moment, she's exploding and unpredictable._

"Sam," Callen said firmly in a warning tone, hoping his partner would heed it. He really didn't want Sam to know. He'd only told one person what had really happened between them. He'd gotten drunk in a bar one night, a couple of weeks later and had spilled it to his new partner at the time. Jimmy? Johnny? Jeremy? He couldn't quite remember the name. That partnership hadn't lasted very long, only three months before Geoffrey, that was it, had decided that he was in the wrong line of work and quit.

"G, I'm worried. You two are going undercover again and you can't seem to be in the same room without setting it on fire, and not in a good way. Or she's shooting daggers at you. For once, it's written all over your face that you care about this girl. Tell me what I need to know so I can watch your back."

Callen lent forward and put his coffee down on the table. He should have been prepared for this. For Sam to see what was really going on. Sam probably knew him better than anyone. Aside from Gibbs. It couldn't really hurt to tell Sam could it?

"We spent eight months undercover as a couple. It got a little more physical than it should have," Callen admitted. _A little more? Interesting way to describe what happened between the two of you._

Sam frowned, "How much more physical?" he asked.

Callen looked away from Sam again, as he answered, "As far as it can go." He knew Sam would be shocked. Crossing the line between agents who should have known better was something Callen had never done, as far as Sam had known anyway. He'd only had to think about her in the hospital and any thoughts of crossing that line again went out the window.

"Did you like her or were you just scratching an itch?" Sam asked rather bluntly.

Callen looked back, not quite believing Sam had actually asked that question.

"You can stop me asking questions by spilling the details," Sam added at the look on Callen's face. Callen sat forward, resting his arms on his knees.

"Yes I liked her. More than that," he admitted. Much more than that. "But it was just supposed to be a job, walk away at the end." Pretend, take down the baddies, shake hands, walk away. No one was supposed to get hurt.

"Did you?" Sam asked.

"Yes." He'd walked away, reluctantly but he had, and he'd gone as far and as fast as he could.

"Did she?" Sam asked him.

Callen stood up and started moving. "She got shot. I let my emotions get in the way of the mission and it got compromised. It ended with her in hospital, gun shot to the stomach." _You really think it ended there for either of you...Nate, back off._

"What about you?" Sam asked. Callen could hear the concern in his partners voice, wondered if Sam was trying to figure out which scars had come from that mission.

"Slightly beaten, no scars, no bullets. Walked away pretty much clean," Callen replied. _Clean? Is that what you'd call it? Do you remember what you did to Marks? _That little voice was his own this time.

"What happened when she got out of hospital?" Sam asked, before Callen could continue on his way to being admitted to a psych ward by having another argument with himself.

"I was gone by then," Callen said as he lent back against the wall opposite from where Sam was.

"You what?" Sam straightened up. His response had definitely taken Sam by surprise and, if Callen was right, Sam was also a touch mad at him. He almost smiled. Seemed Kim still had it. That ability to make people want to defend her. Neil and Simon, her team mates back then, had been willing to do anything for her. She'd only been with them a month at the time, they had started the mission. If he was honest with himself, he'd admit that it had taken even less time for him to feel that way about her.

"I left. She'd got hurt because of me. She could have been killed, Sam." He took a deep breath as the memories flashed through his mind. "Seeing her with that fear in her eyes after she got shot." He couldn't remember anything but the fear, he was sure there would have been pain, but he couldn't remember that. Just the fear, fear that was there because of him. Callen continued, "Seeing her lying there in the hospital bed, pale and still, that's when I swore off badges. I wouldn't do that to anyone else. She deserved better. So I left."

Callen could see Sam slowly taking all this in before he asked his next question.

"Did you say goodbye?"

Callen shook his head. "No. She was still sedated."

"Man, no wonder she looks like she wants to kill you." Sam was concerned. He didn't know what to do to help these two sort themselves out.

"Sam, she was better off without me," Callen replied. _She was? Or you were?_

"You didn't ask her that though did you?"

"No, I didn't," he agreed.

"Did she like you?"

Callen didn't respond. He couldn't. What was he to say to that? He never really knew. _Yes you did … No, I suspected. She never said the words...Neither did you, but you did_.

"She did," Sam concluded, though he had already figured that one out from his conversation with Kim. "So she's the one?"

Callen frowned.

"To blame for you not dating cops," Sam continued.

Callen shook his head. "The reason, not the blame. Blame's all mine."


	9. Chapter 9

_A/N - Thanks again for the reviews and alerts etc. Means a lot._

_Let the battle (and the ceasefire) begin._

_Oh and TXJ - funny that you should mention the gym..._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 9**

As much as Callen didn't think it was a good idea, he found himself following Kim and Sam to the workout area, that doubled as Sam's gym, later that morning. The challenge was on. He watched as the two of them moved onto the mat, eyeing each other. Kim had a small smile on her face, nothing that would give away her confidence, at least not to the average person but he could see it. She _knew_ she was going to win. How, he wasn't sure. He glanced at Sam and saw the same look on his face, he was confident too. Someone was going to get hurt. He could feel it. What he could figure out was who or how.

"How do you want to do this?" Sam asked Kim.

Callen spoke up before she could reply. "One shot. Whoever takes down the other wins." He wasn't quite sure who he was protecting yet. Sam's pride or Bella's body.

_Kim, remember?_

"Only one?" Kim looked at him and raised an eyebrow. From the look on her face and the sparkle in her eyes, Callen was sure she was silently laughing at him, which meant that she thought he didn't think she could take Sam.

"Winner takes all," Callen confirmed.

"Agreed," Sam said.

Kim looked away from Callen to Sam. She nodded. "Agreed," that confident smile returning to her face.

No one moved for a moment, both Kim and Sam waiting for the other to make the first move.

Callen chuckled softly. This could take a while. Kim rolled her eyes as she glanced over at Callen, about to say something when Sam made his move, thinking her distracted. Sam found himself flat on his back, Kim looking down at him. Callen would give her this, she was good, he had no idea how she had done that and she didn't rub it in, too much.

Kim reached out her hand to Sam, offering it to help him up. Surprisingly he actually took it. Once Sam was on his feet she said, "You really should keep up with your training Sam."

Callen couldn't help it. He laughed at the look on Sam's face, gaining him a glare from his partner. It was worth it though, because he also scored a real smile from Kim. One where nothing was held back. It was something he hadn't realised just how much he had missed until that moment.

Sam turned back to her. "How'd you do that? That's a Seal move." Something he certainly hadn't been expecting from her. Sam was regretting agreeing to the one-shot deal now.

"Yeah, so?" Kim replied, the smile still on her face.

Sam shook his head. That was too good, it wasn't as if she'd just seen someone do it. She'd been taught, not just the move, but how to avoid the one that he had attempted on her. "Women can't train as Seals," Sam said.

Kim shrugged, "Doesn't mean a Seal won't train a woman."

"Seals wouldn't do that." Their loyalty was to their team and country. Training someone outside of that wasn't part of their make-up.

"No?" Okay so maybe Sam was right about that. In general, they wouldn't. "Probably not. But a husband would," Kim added before she turned and walked away, leaving Sam staring at her back, still shocked that such a delicate little thing had taken him down. It made him acutely aware that Hetty may very well know more, which led to the possibility that Hetty could actually take him down and that idea scared him more than almost anything else.

Callen froze at the word husband. As Kim walked past him on her way out, he said, "You're married?"

Kim wasn't too concerned about the question, but more at the disbelief in his voice. It set her right on edge.

"Just because you didn't want me, doesn't mean someone else didn't," she snapped at him and continued to walk away.

"Bella," he called out to her.

Kim spun around and glared at him. "When are you going to learn the right name?"

Callen stepped closer to her, "We're not on the mission yet." He hoped he'd get it right then. She was Bella, she'd always been Bella to him, at least after that first week.

"Get used to it. Bella isn't around anymore," Kim replied shaking her head.

_This wasn't going to work. There is too much history between us. History she can't let go and neither can I._

"Maybe you shouldn't be either," Callen said.

Kim frowned, the anger going out in her eyes quickly. "What are you talking about?" she asked. She was afraid of the answer.

"I think Hetty should ask for another FBI agent," Callen continued.

"What? No!" Kim protested. _You can't do this._

Callen frowned. Her attitude had changed completely. There was no trace of anger in her eyes, just desperation and, he wasn't quite sure, but maybe even fear.

"You and I, we don't seem to be able to get it together," he continued. That was an understatement. Sam could see it. He was pretty sure anyone else who had been in the same room as the two of them for five minutes would be able to see it too.

"Please don't," Kim begged him, an emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint, heavy in her voice. He didn't think it was the desperation. It seemed something more than that.

Callen shook his head. He was pushing it, she wasn't the only one he thought might not be able to do this.

"Not willing to take the risk that you can't do this."

He really wanted to ask what had changed. He doubted she'd tell him if he asked her straight out. He turned and walked away.

Kim grabbed his arm and spun him back to her.

"Please G," she begged. "I won't let them down." Kim held onto his arm. She couldn't let him walk away, couldn't let him go to Hetty and follow through with his threat. She needed to change his mind. This was too important.

"Who?" Callen asked.

"The girls. They're just kids. We have to get them back. We have to stop it from going any further with Casey."

Callen looked into her eyes and saw her determination. "I agree. But-"

"Please," Kim begged again. "They say you're the best right?" she asked him. Flattery had never really worked on him, he saw through it too easy, but she wasn't trying to flatter him. It was the truth, what she had been told.

"That's what they say about you too," Callen agreed, still trying to figure out this change.

"We can do this. When it was..." Kim briefly closed her eyes before she continued. "If it was me, I'd want you looking for me."

Callen noticed the pause. She'd been going to say something else. He frowned and wondered what.

Kim stepped closer and pleaded with him, not only her voice but her eyes. "Please G."

He'd always had trouble with that look. He wanted to reach out, touch her check, but he didn't. He just asked softly, "Bella what happened?"

Kim didn't answer his question. "Please, don't take me off this."

Callen did notice she didn't fire up about the name this time.

"Prove it," he said. If they were going to do this, they couldn't let the past interfere interfere anymore.

"What?" Kim frowned, confused. Where was he going with this? What exactly did he want?

"Prove you can play my wife," Callen added. "Convince me that-"

Kim didn't give herself time to think, if she had of, she would have found herself walking out the door and away from the case. She had no choice. She kissed him. Stopped his words and threw everything she had at him. Everything she remembered about how it had been between them, what had worked, what they'd liked. Her arms slipped around his neck, her body moulded to his.

One of his arms went automatically around her waist, the other hand into her hair that was still as soft as he remembered. As he held her to him, he forgot where they were and he returned the kiss, instinctively remembering what worked best. It wasn't hard to remember. The touch of her lips, the taste of her, it brought everything back as if the last time he'd kissed her was five minutes ago. She was still the same. _No, she's even more intoxicating and addictive._

It was a kiss that made him forget where they were, who they were, who they had been and how much pain was between them. Right here, right now was all that existed. A kiss that did exactly what he asked of her. Proved she could play his wife. Proved that she could put the past aside and do what she had to do.

Clapping and whistles caused Callen to pull back. He glanced over at their audience of Sam and Hetty, then looked back to Kim. She was still looking at him. He saw the colour in her cheeks, the dazed look in her eyes. He was pretty sure the same look was in his. She'd definitely improved her technique over the years.

_She's married remember? Of course she's going to have gotten better_.

Kim was breathing heavily and was still in his arms, almost like she'd forgotten where she was. Callen didn't make a move to let her go.

"Well done," Hetty congratulated them.

Kim blinked and shook her head slightly. _For what?_

Hetty continued. "That was very convincing, right down to the blush on Agent Donovan's face for being caught."

Kim dropped her arms from around his neck and Callen followed, releasing his hold on her. They both stepped back from one another. He glanced at Sam who raised his eyebrows and gave him a lopsided grin.

"Now," continued Hetty, "it's time for you two to get ready to leave. You have an early check in at the hotel at twelve."

They all followed Hetty, Kim dropping back a little behind Callen, needing some space. She must be crazy, surely if she'd thought for a moment, she could have figured something else out to prove to him she could do this.

Sam fell into step beside her.

"Why'd you want to be a Seal?" Sam asked her. He'd been curious about that since Callen had first mentioned it. Even more so now after her performance and ease which she took him down.

Kim glanced at him, "Does it matter?" she asked.

Sam shrugged. "Just curious."

Callen slowed his pace just fractionally, so he could hear easier. He knew the story but he wondered how much of it she would tell Sam. He noticed Hetty did as well, keeping herself next to him.

"Best friend died taking a bullet for me," Kim answered. "He wanted to be a Seal. I wanted to do that for him."

Kim felt the pain of that memory. It was one she tended to pulled it out when things were pretty bad. It motivated her like nothing else. Henry had died because they'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Somewhere that should have been safe. He'd jumped in front, taken the bullet that was meant for her. Her brother had gotten mixed up in some bad things. When he hadn't done what he was supposed to, they came after her to make him. He'd run out the back door, a coward. Henry had stayed and protected her. Her brother was four years older, an adult. Henry was just a child really, but he behaved more like a man than her brother. Part of her reason for doing what she did, was someone had to protect those who were innocent. Like Henry had for her.

Sam frowned. "How old were you?"

"Sixteen."

Sixteen. That was young. "He already knew he wanted to be a Seal?" Sam asked.

Kim nodded. "He'd always known." Her voice had softened considerably. "He would have made a great Seal." She blinked back the tears that were forming at the back of her eyes.

A kid willing to die for his best friend at sixteen. The tone in Kim's voice as she spoke of him. The fact that she had wanted to do that for him. All of that spoke volumes to Sam about the kind of man that kid would have turned into. The kind of man he had already been.

He nodded. "I'm sure he would have," Sam said in a serious yet gentle tone.

Kim stopped and looked at Sam. She tiled her head slightly. "I don't have a problem with Seals anymore. Just so you know."

Sam's eyebrows raised. "You thought we were bad?" he asked with a slightly teasing tone. Things had been a little intense so he hoped to lighten the mood, just a little.

Kim smiled. "Not bad, just …" she trailed off. She wasn't quite sure how to explain the feeling. It had been irrational when she was younger to not like any Seal, simply because she hadn't been able to fulfill Henry's dream.

"You couldn't be one so you lumped us all together," Sam concluded.

"Something like that," Kim agreed with a small smile. That would do.

"What changed your mind?" Sam asked, as they started walking again.

"A few things."

"Before or after you married one?" Sam asked, glancing at Callen as he spoke. He knew his partner was listening.

"Both," Kim said as they arrived at Hetty's desk.

_A/N - Next up...the mission starts... let the fun begin! ;-)_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N - Thanks again for the reviews etc. Always appreciated.  
_

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_And now, the mission begins - and the fun..._

_Enjoy._

_._

**Chapter 10**

The hotel room Hetty had booked for them was nice and spacious. King size bed, balcony, nice big bath - big enough for two. Both of them had a slightly difficult time when they'd checked in and found out it was one of the 'honeymoon' suites. But they had managed to keep themselves in character. Actually, it had probably helped add to their performance.

"Does Hetty have a thing about shopping?" Kim asked Callen as she pulled clothes out of the suitcase and put them away.

"Why?" Callen asked, glancing over at her.

Kim smiled at him. "She certainly seems to have had fun getting into the spirit of the holiday."

She turned away from him to the drawers.

Callen moved closer to look over her shoulder at her things as she put them away.

"Anything interesting?" Callen asked.

Kim turned and slapped him gently on the arm.

"You started it," Callen grinned. "What exactly are you complaining about?" Callen hadn't seen anything that should cause a problem, at least not in his stuff or the small amount he'd seen of hers. He moved back to his suitcase and continued his unpacking.

"Any chance she packed you pyjamas?" Kim asked him.

Callen raised his eyebrows and smiled to himself. "You wanna swap?" He turned around to look at her.

"Tempting," Kim replied, her back to him.

Curiosity seriously piqued, Callen agreed, "All right."

Kim turned and faced him. She frowned. That was too easy. "What don't I know?" she asked.

Callen grinned and held up his pyjamas. "She only packed the bottom half."

Kim blushed slightly but followed it up with a mischievous smile, which caused Callen to frown.

"Could almost be worth it to see you in this." Kim threw something at him. He held it up looked at it. Soft, silky and very definitely revealing. He shook his head and looked at her. It didn't take much to imagine her in it.

"Not worth it from my angle."

Kim bit the inside of her lip, her heart racing at his response. She took a breath and a moment to decide how to respond to that. Somehow she had to keep this professional. "You know, maybe we should talk about ground rules," she finally said.

"Like?" Callen asked.

"What happens when we aren't playing the roles."

Callen nodded slightly. "So what happens when we're alone," he clarified.

"Yeah. No crossing the line."

"Wasn't my idea last time," Callen replied. _Put your foot in it, why don't you? Might not have been your idea, but you didn't stop it and you enjoyed it just as much as she. _

Kim closed her eyes briefly and managed to ignore his comment. Hard as that was. It had hurt and her instincts screamed at her to hurt him back. Though she doubted she could since he didn't care.

Her restraint impressed Callen. He felt sure that he was in trouble. Enough trouble that he didn't even think an apology would get him out of it, so he had remained silent, leaving the ball in her court.

"Same deal. Uncomfortable or there's a problem," Kim said, continuing as if he hadn't said anything, "Code word stays as black. Work it into the conversation and let the other know why." She turned back to finish her unpacking as she continued. "We're more experienced now, I'm sure we can make the conversations seem innocent to anyone listening in."

Callen noticed her tone wasn't quite as warm as it had been. He really wished his brain would start filtering his comments a little better around her.

"Agreed," Callen said. "What do we do next, Mrs Cartwright?" he asked, attempting to move them away from that tense moment.

Kim pulled her swimmers out of the suitcase and held them up. "Well, it is a beautiful afternoon. Perhaps a late lunch by the pool and a swim."

"I can hope that Hetty's choice in swim wear for you is as good as sleepwear," Callen teased, hoping to bring a little lightness back.

"Black Callen," Kim responded good-naturedly, rolling her eyes.

"Joseph," Callen corrected, smiling to himself that his ploy had actually worked. Her tone held a little bit of laughter in it now.

"Mr Cartwright," Kim followed up with, rather formal.

"Jo?" Callen asked with raised eyebrows.

Kim smiled. "Jo," she agreed.

Kim finished unpacking and slipped into the bathroom. When she came out, Callen couldn't help but think he had been right. Hetty's taste was good. He did manage to hold his tongue though, settling for an appreciative look at her.

Kim threw a towel at him, taking advantage of his momentary blindness when the towel hit his face, to return the look unobserved. He certainly hadn't let himself go. She grabbed a small bag, placing her key and a bottle of sunscreen in it. With a slight grimace of discomfort, she removed the ear piece Hetty had supplied them with and refitted it more comfortably, slightly disappointed that Hetty had already assured them that they were indeed waterproof. She didn't really enjoy having them in, it was one of those necessary evils of her work.

"Are you ready?" Kim asked as she wrapped her towel around her waist.

"Are you?" Callen replied. He watched the smile spread slowly across her face. She was ready, that was another one of her smiles that he still knew.

"Let's the games begin," she said. This is what she lived for. The chase, the game, getting the bad guys without them knowing they were even coming. Protecting those who were innocent, as Casey was. She was pleased that she had finally found her way to that place this time, slightly easier than she thought it would be considering who her partner was in this mission.

The moment they were out in the hall they slipped into their respective roles easily - arms around each other, flirtatious looks, gentle touches. It was as if nothing had changed from the previous mission. It was all so easy.

After they had eaten, they moved over by the pool, finding two chairs that were free. Sitting down, Kim pulled out the sunscreen from the bag. Before she had even taken the lid off, Callen smiled and took the bottle out of her hand. He looked down at her from where he was standing next to her chair, an expectant and mischievous look on his face.

"What are you doing?" Kim asked cautiously.

Callen grinned. "Being the dutiful husband, making sure you are completely covered. Can't having you getting burnt on the first day of our holiday can I?"

_Let's see how well she can play the game when it's for real._

_Y__ou're challenging me aren't you? Oh, you have no idea what you are in for._

Kim smiled and laid back down on the chair, surprising him that she had accepted his suggestion without a hint of argument.

"That could cause a slight problem," she replied, suggestively.

Starting at her feet, Callen worked his way slowly up her smooth legs. He wondered whether she would stop him as he got to the top of her thighs, but she didn't. The only sign was that she seemed to hold her breath.

_Breathe Kim. It's not personal remember._

The muscles in her stomach twitched when he reached there, especially when his fingers brushed over her scar. _At least it was only one, _Callen thought. _Could have been a whole lot worse._

Kim's breathing changed as he moved to above her bikini top, and he smiled at her. She returned it, just as you would expect, though he was sure she wanted to stop him, but she didn't. When Callen finished her front, she turned over, no questions and he worked on her back.

Kim let out a silent sigh as she turned over. _Survived the front, back will be a lot easier. Then it's payback. _The only thing that had kept her from stopping his hands, had been that she'd get the chance to do the same to him. Get the chance to find out if he was having the same trouble as her. It had taken a lot of concentration to keep her breathing relatively normal as he'd moved his hands over her. She was reacting as if she was twenty two again. Her body was being a traitor, craving his touch just as it used to.

When Callen had finally finished, she was sure he had taken a whole lot longer than was actually necessary, he moved over to his chair. Kim stood up, took the cream from his hand and looked at him.

"My turn," she said, giving him a wicked smile.

Callen laid down on his stomach to give her access to his back.

_Chicken … Get out my head Sam._

Kim squeezed the cream out directly onto his back, enjoying the little jump as the cold cream hit his warm back. As Kim rubbed it in, Callen enjoyed the feel of her hands on him. He wondered if she'd ask about the scars from his shooting when they were alone.

Kim's hands ran over his back, she felt the scars and her hands slowed. She narrowly suppressed a shudder as she made the connection. The scars were the same. Same age. Same size. _What happened to you G? What did you do?_

Slowly she finished his back and moved so he could turn over, giving him a gentle tap on the shoulder to let him know it was time.

Callen turned over. He didn't expect what she did next. She straddled him, sitting low on his hips and leaned down to kiss him, his hands automatically going to her hips to keep her safe.

When Kim pulled back slightly, her hair had fallen like a curtain blocking them from the view of others. Kim looked in his eyes and whispered, "You know we're being watched already."

Callen knew. "One of the guys at the bar." He'd noticed when he'd had his head tilted that way whilst she was doing his back.

"Yeah." She kept her head close to his, a couple of inches at most. So close that anyone would think she was stilling kissing him, especially with her hair shielding them. He wished she was. "Maybe there's more than one contact here," Kim continued.

"Someone in reception maybe," Callen said as he slid his hands up her back, adding to the intimacy of the situation.

Kim smiled down at him, "We did play it up on check in."

That they had. They'd made sure that those at the reception desk, knew exactly why they were here. Shameless, Hetty would probably have called them. He'd disagree. He was just playing the 'crazy about his wife' husband that he had told Kim he would. And she'd matched up beautifully, as she always had.

"Guess we'll have to go for a swim and get a drink once you're done with me," Callen replied as one of his hands slid into her hair.

They heard footsteps walking toward them and he pulled her down and kissed her.

Callen held her close, enjoying the familiar sensations she was creating. When she started to pull away, he reluctantly let her sit up. But she didn't get up, just started putting sunscreen on his chest whilst she was still sitting on him. He had a difficult time keeping his mind off the alternative possibilities of their position. He caught her smile twitch on her face, like she was trying not to laugh, and he was sure she knew just how hard a time he was having. Not like he could hide his body's reaction, given their position.

_Professional G … Tell me Sam, if you were watching a couple in this position and she moved off, wouldn't you expect a reaction? …. G … Go away Sam, I'm working … Working my - _

Somehow, even if it was just in his head, Callen managed to cut Sam's words off.

Callen smiled back at her, as he put his hands on Kim's knees and ran gentle circles with his thumbs over the inside of them. He saw Kim swallow nervously, could even see her pulse race.

_So that still works then. Wonder what other things still turn her on._

Kim stayed until she was finished. When she was done, she pulled him up.

"Think we're ready for a swim or should we wait?" Kim asked, as he slipped his arms around her, running his fingers done her spine, causing her to shiver with the sensations his touch created in her.

_He wants to play, you can do this too. You know what he likes, or at least used it._

Callen turned his eyes briefly to the bar, then back to her and said softly, "No customers at the bar. Could be a good time to get well and truly noticed." He picked her up and walked over to edge of the pool.

"You had better not drop me in," Kim warned him, her arms slipping around his neck, fingers playing with the hair at the back of his neck. She had to admit, she liked his hair short like this.

Callen looked at her, an attempt at an innocent look on his face. "What if I jump in with you?"

"Prefer you put me down and let me get in myself," she replied as she tightened her hold on his neck. She knew exactly what he was about to do and nothing she said would make a scrap of difference to his plans.

"Sorry," Callen shook his head, "that'll take too long. You're a wimp when it comes to getting in the water." With that, he jumped.

They came up and Kim pulled away, deliberately splashing him. The ensuing water fight, thankfully the pool was fairly empty, ended with an intense make-out session on a step in the pool close to the bar, in full view of the bartenders.

"So, I'm thinking we should do this more often," Kim said as she pulled back from him. Callen could see the flush on her cheeks, the slightly swollen lips. If their performance didn't convince those around that they were very 'into' one another, he didn't know what would. That, or the audience had to be blind.

"Make out in the pool?" Callen grinned. "I'm all for it." He kissed her again.

Kim eventually pulled back and put a finger on his lips, a look in her eyes telling him to behave. She obviously had something in mind.

_Seriously, couldn't I get a break. Did he have to get better at that too?_

"Leave Vicki with the grandparents," Kim said, the fingers of her other hand running gently over the back of his neck. "I mean she's fourteen and is pretty self sufficient. The occasional parent getaway I'm sure would do wonders for the family stress levels." She removed her fingers from his lips once she had finished talking.

They hadn't planned their conversation. They'd never needed to. They knew each others background, who they were and roughly what they were aiming for. That was all they had ever needed for their conversations to flow smoothly.

"Things have been a bit tense lately with work," Callen replied easily. He cupped her face with one hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb, as his other hand rested on her back holding her securely as she sat on his lap, legs either side of him again. It wasn't easy to keep his mind focused on the conversation, but he managed. Just enough.

"Doesn't help that she picks up on it." Kim briefly closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his hand on her cheek, before she opened them and continued. "Plus, she's not far off dating,"

Callen raised his eyebrows, not quite sure where she was going with this but he worked with it. "And us going away for a weekend wouldn't put ideas in her head?"

Kim laughed softly and smiled. "We'll have to take those ideas out and give her a good explanation. What better one than her father just wants to spoil her mother."

"Not the other way around?" Callen asked with a suggestive tone.

"That," Kim grinned, "she doesn't need to know about yet." She slowly kissed him, one hand running gently down his chest between them. As her hand went lower, he pulled her closer, stopping her as her hand was trapped between them, low on his stomach. He wasn't quite sure if he was ready to find out just how far she was willing to go. She smiled to herself at his reactions to her touch. She pulled back and continued on with the conversation, leaving him slightly confused. "But making sure she looks for someone like her father would be good."

"Why's that?" he asked as he let her go slightly so she could move her hand out from between them. She held his face gently in between her two hands as she continued softly.

"You're one of a kind. That way she won't start dating for ages." Kim was leaning in to kiss him again when they got interrupted. She pulled back, a slight smile of satisfaction on her face. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because of his reaction, the disappointment he was sure was on his face, or that they'd managed to get one of the bartender's attention already.

"Can I get you two anything?" came a voice from above them.

Callen dropped his head back and glanced up, read the name badge. Gavin. Just who they were looking for. "Beer and white wine, thanks. Can you put it over at our chairs? There -"

"Know where you two are sitting," Gavin replied with a smile. "It's part of the job."

_I'll be it is, _Kim thought as she fought back a scowl at the overly friendly tone.

"Thanks," Callen replied. He pulled Kim close after Gavin had left and kissed her again. He'd felt her tense up when she'd realised exactly whose attention they had attracted.

"Nicely done," Callen complimented her on getting Gavin's attention so quickly.

"Maybe we should return to our chairs for our drinks," Kim suggest

"Not yet, he's still watching. Perhaps we should stay here for a bit."

Kim smiled. "And do what?" she asked. She was enjoying being in the water with him again. _Kim … Oh just leave me alone for a little bit. Great, now I'm telling myself off for telling myself off. _

Callen turned her around, moving her to sit between his legs and started a gentle massage on her shoulders. He whispered in her ear, "Apparently I'm supposed to be spoiling you."

"I can handle that," she replied, relaxing back against him.

After a few minutes, they swam back towards their seats. Callen pulled himself out first, before helping Kim out. He pulled her into his arms, just as Gavin came up with their drinks. He deliberately ignored his approach and kissed her again, letting his hands slide down her back to rest low on her hips, holding her close. Kim's made their way slowly up and twined around his neck. Gavin cleared his throat and Callen pulled back and turned to look at him, whilst he kept Kim close.

"Yes?" Callen said, an impatient tone in his voice suggesting he wasn't impressed with the interruption. It wasn't entirely an act. He felt Kim shake a little as she held back a laugh.

"Sorry Sir, I need your room number," Gavin said with a most apologetic tone, "unless you'd like to pay cash."

"Room 342," Callen replied.

"Sorry. Gavin is it?" Kim turned at little in his arms, though didn't move out of them. She smiled. "It's been a while since we've been away just the two of us. Get a little bit distracted," she continued with a warm smile for Callen when she briefly glanced back at him.

"No problem," Gavin replied easily. "You have kids?"

_You slimey b-. _Kim felt Callen give her gentle squeeze and stopped her thoughts there.

"Yes, one daughter," Kim replied, her tone friendly, showing no hint of the way she felt about him. "She's fourteen, so old enough to leave with the grandparents now."

Gavin nodded. "Enjoy your stay. Let me know if I can do anything to help."

"Thanks," Callen said. Gavin turned and walked away.

Callen steered Kim to her chair and passed the wine after she sat down. "Looks like we have his attention," he said softly as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips before he sat on his chair.

"You bet you do," came Eric's reply through their ear pieces. Neither responded, just listened, as Callen lent back in his chair appearing to enjoy his drink. They knew Eric had orders not to bother them unless it was important. It would be too distracting if he did.

Eric continued, "Within seconds of you telling him your room number, there was a search done to find out your names and there is currently a background check being done. Pretty deep too."

"You two need to be careful," came Sam's warning. "A search that quick, the pool area's bugged or the bartender is."

"Be vigilant. In your room also. Eric is monitoring the camera feeds from the hotel in case someone decides to add a little extra to your room. We'll let you know if they do," Hetty added her advice.

Both Callen and Kim fought back the frown at Hetty's concern. Surely they wouldn't go that far, putting a camera in the room.

"This is nice," said Callen, glancing over at Kim.

"Relaxing," Kim agreed with a smile.

Callen saw Gavin watching them, the bar not being too far from them, he could probably also hear normal conversation, so Callen turned back to look at her, letting his gaze wander slowly over her body and smiled again. "Shall we go back to our room?"

Kim smiled back and raised her eyebrows questioningly, "Don't want to finish your drink first?" she asked, wondering just where he was going with this.

"Take them with us," Callen replied, his gaze running suggestively over her body again as he continued. "Have things in mind to do with you that might get us kicked out."

"That would probably be a good idea."

Both Callen and Kim almost spat out the mouthful of their drinks they had just taken, at Hetty's comment and timing. Hetty continued, after a momentary pause at the sounds they had made. Eric included. "Just in case the bartender decides to test them for finger prints," added Hetty. Callen was sure that she was smiling. "I would like Eric to go deeper on a fingerprint check, just to ensure we haven't missed anything. Eric will inform you when it is done."

"Sounds... interesting. Let's go," Kim said as she stood up.

Callen grabbed their things and slipped an arm around her and they left, giving a nod to the bartenders as they did.

Back in their room, Eric informed them that they were secure, no one had been in.

"I'm going for a shower," Kim told Callen, turned and started walking away.

"Want company?" he asked.

Kim turned and looked at him.

"Venturing into black territory?" Callen asked at her look.

_Yes, but not like I'm going to admit that to you._

"Not exactly," she replied instead. "Just wondering how much you are willing to have Eric and Hetty listen in on."

"I assure you that it wouldn't be anything I haven't heard before. However, I cannot speak for Eric," Hetty replied, sending Kim into a silent fit of laughter at Eric's squeak and the look on Callen's face.

Callen rolled his eyes, not only at Kim, but at Hetty as well. Even if she couldn't see it. "Are we going to get any privacy whilst we are here Hetty?" Callen asked.

"Do you need some Mr Callen?" came Hetty's innocent sounding question.

"It might be nice not to have to remember that you are listening all the time," he replied.

Kim raised her eyebrows, still laughing at him. He took a step toward her and her eyes went wide and she stopped at the look in his eyes.

_No way could he possibly be suggesting what I think that look meant. _

"Fine," Hetty agreed after a moment. "You may remove your ear pieces whilst in your room. Remember to put them in and turn them on whenever you leave, if someone comes to the door or those wonderful instincts you both apparently possess, tell you to."

"Thank you Hetty," Callen replied as he took another step toward Kim. They both took them out and put them safely on the top of the drawers where they could get to them easily.

"Now, what were we discussing?" Callen asked as he pulled her into his arms as he said softly, "It's been a while, thought perhaps you might need some practice."

Kim fought it but she knew he saw it, the flash of pain across her face. She saw his expression change from teasing to serious.

"Not something easy to forget," she replied as she pulled away and walked into the bathroom.

Callen watched her go. This was going to be hard. He'd slipped back so easily into the role, forgetting that it wasn't like it used to be.


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N - Here we go for another round of fun... Blame it on being woken up early! That and this story is a lot of fun to write and almost finished (well not the posting side of things, only about half way there with this chapter)_

_Enjoy and thanks for the reviews.  
_

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 11**

The next morning Kim woke before Callen and slipped quietly out of bed. She stood at the balcony door looking out, enjoying the slight breeze that was coming through the open door and tried not to think. Waking up next to him had brought back memories of their previous time together. Memories which, in themselves were wonderful, but not when she looked back at the whole picture.

Kim was too lost in her thoughts, having been unsuccessful at not thinking, and didn't hear him get up. Callen walked up quietly behind her and slipped one arm around her waist, whilst running his fingers lightly down her arm. Kim tensed, fighting her body's reaction his touch. Callen gently kissed her almost bare shoulder as he spoke.

"You know standing there, looking like you do, it's an invitation," he said softly. She wasn't wearing the revealing one that she had thrown at him yesterday, but it was soft and silky and very tempting.

"An invitation to what?" Kim asked. _Caffeine, first thing in the morning before you open your mouth, girl. You didn't even think about that response did you?_

"To do this," Callen replied as his hands moved slowly over her body and his mouth planted light kisses over her shoulder and neck. She could feel the heat of his hands through the soft material. Could feel the heat from him against her back through the material and where it was just them. So familiar, even after all this time.

"Not an invitation." Kim closed her eyes, she couldn't help it. _You know I want a divorce right, you traitor, _she told her body.

"Yes," Callen corrected. "Anyone could be watching us. Wouldn't want them to get the wrong idea." He was enjoying this. He could feel her responses, the tiny movements that had always given away what she was wanting, unconsciously guiding his hands.

"From where?" her voice was breathless as he continued to tease her. He obviously remembered what she liked. She was having trouble standing and felt herself involuntarily lean back against him. _Don't do this to me,_ she begged her body. It didn't listen and she felt herself grow weaker and respond to him.

"There are at least two hotels that someone could be in, watching us," Callen smiled against her neck as he felt her lean back, the kisses not so light anymore.

Kim opened her eyes and looked. Sure enough there were. _Damn him. Why did I have to fall for him? _She tensed again. _It's just a job. He's not doing this because he wants to. Are you going to be an idiot again? Wasn't there enough pain for you last time?_

Kim took a deep breath and focused on becoming Beth again. She turned into his arms and caught his mouth with hers. Callen's arms went around her and held her close. Kim moved them back deeper inside there room. As soon as she had him far enough in, she stopped and and moved away.

Kim looked over at him and felt like smiling in satisfaction. At least she wasn't the only one having trouble. _ Maybe he did want to do..._

After a mental shake of her head, to stop the voice from going further, she asked, "What? No one can see now."

Before Callen could think of an appropriate response, there was a knock on the door. Kim started to move to the bathroom out of sight.

"Not going to get that?" Callen asked as he glanced over her attire.

Kim rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Dressed like this? I don't think so." She reached behind the bathroom door and pulled out one of the bathrobes that was there and threw it to him.

"You get the door." Kim walked into the bathroom and closed the door halfway. Callen switched on and slipped in his ear piece, not willing to risk a reprimand from Hetty, before he opened the door.

It was breakfast. Kim put the other bathrobe on and went to join Callen, as he was taking the tray out onto the balcony.

"You want to eat outside?" Kim asked.

"Why not? It's a beautiful morning," he replied as he put it down on the table.

"True," Kim agreed. "But what about all those who could be watching?"

Callen turned and winked at her. "Call it practice," he replied.

Kim raised her eyebrows. "You think I need practice?" She thought she done quite well just now, well at least once she'd put her mind to it.

"No harm in it," Callen added.

Kim looked at him suspiciously wondering what he had in mind, whilst Callen wondered if he was going to pay for that comment.

They sat down and started eating with a light discussion of all the possible places people could be watching from. Turned out there were at least six places that could watch the balcony. After they had finished, Callen reached over and took her hand, pulled her off her chair and guided her around to his. Kim frowned at him but went along with it.

"Thought I saw something," Callen said softly, as he pulled her onto his lap. "Maybe our conversation wasn't so crazy after all."

"Someone watching?" she asked as she rested her arms loosely around his neck.

Callen looked at her and smiled. "Saw a flash of something."

"Guess we'd better give them a good show," Kim replied as she placed a hand on the back of his head and moved in to kiss him.

"Good's not enough," Callen added just before her lips touched his. He felt her smile and the show was on. Whilst she kissed him, he concentrated on getting rid of her robe. He might not really be her husband, but if he was, he was sure that this would be considered appropriate behaviour. Kim's response matched his and he absently remembered Matthews comment that apparently she could pull of any emotion or any role. Looking like he might have been right.

Kim pulled back eventually, her robe now sitting around her waist, his opened up reveling his chest. She stood up, leaned down to kiss him softy, as she let the robe fall around her feet. She smiled and stepped out of it. As she walked around his chair to go inside, her fingers trailed over his arm.

Callen started to move to get up to follow, but she stopped him. She put a small amount of pressure on his shoulder indicating he should stay put, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Not yet."

Kim moved away and removed her hand. Callen waited, not quite sure what was going on but sure she had something in mind. The next thing he knew her nightdress landed on his lap and he heard her laugh. He looked at the item in his hand, smiled and stood up. If someone was watching, he certainly shouldn't be staying outside right now. As he stepped through the doorway, he heard the bathroom door close, and the distinct click of the lock. He closed the balcony door and curtains behind him. She was good and he was … not. She had to know what she was doing to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~O

It was afternoon. They'd had lunch in the hotel restaurant and then headed back to the pool. Eric had managed to discretely hack into the hotel employee rosters and found out that Gavin was working the afternoon shift at the pool bar again. After a leisurely swim, Callen left Kim lying on one of the chairs, made his way over to the bar and Gavin. He stood, leaning slightly against the other end of the bar, away from the other customer.

"Hey," Callen said, getting Gavin's attention.

Gavin moved to stand in front of him, a smile on his face. "Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah," Callen replied, glad Kim wasn't there. Gavin's smile held a little something more to it today and given her reaction yesterday, he wasn't entirely sure how hard a time he'd have keeping her under control. "You said if I needed anything, to let you know," Callen continued.

"What do you need?" Gavin asked as he continued to dry the glass that was in his hand.

"A place to take the wife for dinner. Needs to be special," Callen explained with a brief glance to where Kim was lying.

"Anywhere in particular?" Gavin asked.

Callen smiled. "Somewhere that will impress her."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. Callen could see the interest in his eyes. "Expensive?" Gavin asked.

Callen shook his head. "Money's not the problem," he replied.

"You done something wrong you need to make up for?" Gavin asked, his tone curious.

"No," Callen smiled and shook his head. "Been married sixteen years tomorrow. Haven't had the time to find a place to go." Callen paused, a thoughtful look on his face, before he continued, "Been away for a couple of months. Making up for lost time."

"Ah," Gavin nodded. "Something that is going to ensure you a very happy anniversary?"

"Something like that," Callen agreed, knowing what Gavin was thinking.

_If only that were the case._

"I know the perfect place, though I don't know if I can get you in," Gavin offered.

"In where? " Kim asked as she slipped up behind Callen, her hands running over his chest and resting low on his stomach. He sucked in a breath as her fingers played with the waistband of his swimmers and wondered just how far she was willing to go. Callen felt her chuckle against his back as she slipped under his arm and turned into him, so she was between him and the bar. Her eyes were sparkling and full of mischief. He narrowly avoided frowning at her. She was playing with him.

_You know you can play just as well as she can, maybe even better. _

Callen smiled.

"You were gone too long," Kim continued before she kissed him. "Better have a good reason for that," she added when she pulled back, leaving her arms around his neck. Deliberately, Callen pushed her against the bar, holding her there with his body. He saw her eyes widen slightly in mild shock, but she hid it quickly and smiled at him. He wondered just how she would retaliate.

"Just trying to find the perfect place for dinner tomorrow," Callen replied, as his arms tightened around her. He saw the look on Gavin's face change slightly to one that looked like the cat who got, not only the cream, but the milk and the mouse.

"Have you?" Kim asked Callen. She fought back a frown, but couldn't keep the concern out of her eyes as she felt him tense. Tension that had nothing at all to do with what she was doing or how he had trapped her against him.

Callen looked up at Gavin, questioningly.

"I'll let you know if I can get you in," Gavin replied with a a nod.

Kim started to kiss his neck and he looked down at her briefly before looking back at Gavin.

"Just call the room, leave us a message," Callen said, then he kissed her quickly and picked her up.

"Our stuff!" Kim protested as her arms slipped around his neck.

Callen turned around and carried her back to where they had been sitting. Letting her down, only until she had picked up their small bag. He picked her her up again.

"Are you going to carry me all the way to our room?" Kim asked.

"Safer that way," Callen replied. They walked past the bar and out of the pool area.

"Why?" Kim asked him as they neared the elevator.

Callen looked at her. "Never know what your hands might get up to. Just how far were you planning on going?" he asked.

"With what?" Kim asked, an innocent look on her face.

Callen looked intently at her and the innocence left her face as he added, "At the bar."

"As far as necessary," Kim replied with a smile.

"Which was?" The elevator arrived just then.

"As far as I went."

Callen carried her into the elevator. There was no one else in there, but knowing there was a high probability of them being watched, he let her slide down his body slowly, reached over and pressed the button for their floor. Not taking his eyes off her. Then he kissed her as the elevator started to move. He pushed aside the thoughts of how much he was enjoying this on a personal level and focused on the fact that it was for the mission.

_Yeah right. Since when did you have to get this intense on a mission? You and she know very well how to fake it. _

They heard the elevator stop and Callen picked her up again, carrying her the rest of the way to their room.

Once safely inside, he put her down and Kim stepped away from him.

"Guess you've been working out a bit," Kim said absently, having noted how easily he'd been able to carry her.

"Enough," Callen replied and watched her. She swallowed nervously at the look and started to turn away.

"Umm, guys. There's a problem." They both froze, silent, waiting for Eric to continue, as they looked at one another.

"The other customer at the bar. He's followed you to your room and he's got a tiny camera he's about to put under your door."


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N - A little more fun, a little more background, a few answers and some seriousness. It is rated T for a reason - there are adult themes and circumstances. Just so you know._

_Thanks for the reviews - torture over...for now ;-)  
_

_Now about that camera..._

_._

**Chapter 12**

Callen reached out, grabbed Kim's hand and pulled her back into his arms the moment Eric had said the word camera. One hand slipped into her hair, one around her waist as he kissed her. She followed his lead, her arms going around his neck.

"Guys?" called Eric. They ignored him.

"Let them do their job, " Hetty said firmly. "You do yours. Find out who's seeing that footage."

The two of them moved back towards the bed, completely in sync. As the backs of his knees came in contact with the bed, Callen sat down, Kim moving onto his lap, their hold not breaking in the slightest. The kiss didn't stop until they needed to breathe. Callen pulled her head back gently and started on her neck. Kim closed her eyes and let out a soft moan. His position allowed Callen a brief glance over to the door, so he could see the camera, small as it was. Better make the show good.

His hand slipped out of her hair and joined the other one on her back, undoing the clasp on her bikini top. Kim moved her arms so he could slip it off and returning them around his neck as she kissed him again. Callen tumbled them back onto the bed so he was above her. The familiar feel of her beneath him, pushing the mission out of his mind, instinct and desire taking over.

Kim could barely breathe. Nothing had changed, she still felt so weak and consumed by him. This morning should have warned her it would have been like this. She tried to focus on the mission, on the fact that someone was testing them to see if they were for real. She felt his lips move further down her neck and he kept going, felt his hand run softly over her hips, her waist and up. She fought so hard and focused, but she couldn't do it. She could feel everything but him and his touch slipping from her mind. And, no matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't let it happen. This may just be a mission, but she wasn't ready for this. This was getting too personal.

Kim flipped them over so she was on top, that way she could do this to him instead of the other way. After all, he didn't care. _So you do? _She shook off the thought and worked her way down his neck and over his chest. She tried not to think about how his body felt, how he couldn't exactly hide the fact that he wanted her. Tried not to remember what it had been like with him. She moved up and kissed him again, to be interrupted when Eric's voice came through.

"He's gone, you guys are safe now."

Kim stopped, pulled back and looked down at him. Callen looked up at her. Neither of them moved. Her breathing was heavy, her mind full of memories, her body remembering too. She really didn't want this to stop. The way Callen was looking at her, she was sure he felt the same. _You've been... No! Go away._

Callen hand slid back into her hair, using just enough pressure to pull her ever so slowly closer to him again. Letting her know he wanted this if she did. Kim closed her eyes and, after a brief moment, he felt her move closer of her own accord. He smiled in relief, knowing he wasn't the only one.

_"Why did you let it get personal back there?" she asked him frustrated, but at the same time elated that he actually seemed to feel that whatever this was between them was more than the job._

"_Personal? It's a job Bella. That's all this is."_

_She felt like a knife had just been slammed into her chest. She stumbled back as she'd actually been hit._

"_Just a … not personal," she whispered._

Kim stopped at the memory. "No … Not personal," she whispered. She opened her eyes, keeping them averted from his, and quickly pulled away. Getting off him and the bed, she turned away and pulled the first item of clothing over her head that she laid her hands on. "Not personal," she said quietly, more to herself than anyone else, trying to ignore the pain in her heart. She'd been so stupid again.

"Why are you lying?" Callen asked as he watched her walk away. _That was definitely personal._

"I'm not. It's not personal," Kim replied, not turning around as she tried to fight against the pain in her chest, tried to calm her breathing. _It can't be. I can't let it happen again._

"Yeah right," Callen said, sarcasm in his tone. Kim spun around at that.

"Come on G," she said, "you're the one who taught me not to get involved."

"Not talking about you and me," Callen denied. _That'll come later._ "This mission is personal to you. Why?" he asked as he sat up on the bed.

Kim frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Callen stood up and moved closer to her. Kim backed away from him.

"I'm talking about the girls," Callen said. He saw the reaction on her face. He'd been right. There was definitely something personal going on here, aside from them.

"What happened? Why's it so important?" he asked.

"They're just children, they don't deserve this," Kim said desperately. _Please, just leave it at that. _She reached up, yanked the ear piece out of her ear and turned it off. If he didn't stop, she didn't want anyone hearing this.

"No one does," Callen agreed, following her lead with the ear piece, hoping it might make it easier for her to tell him whatever it was.

"It's not -" Kim started.

"Stop," Callen cut her off. "Tell me what happened," he demanded. "No secrets. Things don't go well when there are." _If only I'd told you the truth back then, life would have been so different._

Callen saw the tears in Kim's eyes and stepped closer.

"Please," Kim begged, as she shook her head and stepped back again. _Dealing with you is hard enough, don't make me tell you this._

"The same thing happened to you as these girls," Callen guessed, hoping he was wrong.

Kim shook her head, though Callen could see in her eyes that it wasn't a denial, just that she didn't want to talk. He pushed though. This was something he felt he needed to know.

"When did it happen?" Callen asked again.

Kim shook her head, "Please G." She caught her bottom lip between her teeth in an attempt to stop it trembling. She knew he wasn't going to let up and she didn't know if she could do this.

Callen pulled her into his arms. "Bella tell me," he said softly.

The name, his arms, his concern. All combined, it broke her down. She lent into him and started to speak, at least she tried.

"Two years after we..." Kim stopped. _This is too hard._

"How long?" Callen asked gently.

"Two weeks," she whispered. "The beatings were the easy part. They wanted information but they had their orders, no permanent marks. Bruises fade... Mind games don't leave a physical trace." _Leave it G, _she begged him silently.

"Did they..." He couldn't finish the question. Callen wasn't sure if he really wanted the answer, even though he had an awful feeling he already knew what it would be.

_God he knows too much. Never really been able to hide from him._

"Sex doesn't leave scars, at least not obvious ones. What do you think?"

Callen closed his eyes as his blood boiled at what she had been through. He didn't want her to see that in his eyes. He rubbed the back of her neck and held her close, waited to see if she would continue.

"I didn't think I could take much more then they moved me to a boat," Kim shuddered slightly as she continued the story. She felt his arms tighten slightly. _I've missed him so much. _

"I don't know where they were taking me, but we were moving. I was locked in a bedroom, handcuffed and sitting on the bed when this guy, in a black wetsuit broke through the door. I screamed ... At least I tried. Voice wasn't really working. He walked really slowly, took just a couple of steps closer holding out his hands. Somehow I felt safe. For a moment I thought he was..." Kim stopped before she could tell him that she thought it was him. That she had felt that same safe feeling. "He got me out of the handcuffs, told me he was there to take me home. I couldn't walk, they'd drugged me with something, so he carried me out. Up on deck his team had taken over the boat, detained all those on board. He carried me down a ladder on the side of the boat to theirs. No idea how he did that. I didn't let go of him and he didn't let go of me. He held me tight, and safe, as the boat left the one I had been on behind. I remember him pulling off his mask after we were far enough away. Told me I was safe now. That his name was Brendan. Then I fainted. I woke in the hospital," Kim finished. She hadn't stopped, she knew if she did she probably wouldn't have been able to finish.

Callen continued to hold her close. "Did you see him again?"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

_Flashback for Kim_

She slowly opened her eyes, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. She saw him sitting next to her. He smiled when he saw she was looking at him.

"Hi," Brendan said gently.

"Hi," she replied, pleased that her voice was a tad stronger than on the boat. She remembered him.

"Remember me?" he asked. She smiled, it was almost like he was reading her mind.

"How could I forget? You saved me," she replied.

He smiled at her, it lit up his eyes. Such gentle eyes.

"You remember my name?"

Of course she did. "Brendan," she confirmed.

"Good. Know where you are?"

She vaguely wondered if he was a doctor. But that didn't make sense with what she remembered. It was just that he was asking all the questions a doctor would.

"Guessing a hospital." Kim frowned. "You stayed."

"Yes," he confirmed with a small nod.

"Why?" she asked.

"You needed to feel safe. Figured maybe I could help with that." He didn't look away. He obviously wanted her to trust him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Who or what?" Brendan asked with a grin.

She raised her eyebrows at that. "What?"

"Navy Seal."

"Seal huh?"

"Yeah. You have a problem with that?" Brendan asked.

She smiled.

"Not anymore," she replied softly, just before her eyes closed again and sleep claimed her again.

_End of flashback_

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Yeah," Kim admitted softly. "He was there when I woke up. Every time." _Just like I wanted you to be._

Callen felt his stomach clench and guilt rear it's ugly head again. He should have been there for her. He shouldn't have run. He hadn't been able to bear the thought of her dying because of him. The feelings he had for her were strong, and he'd never had anyone stick around before. So he'd run. Run away from one of the few things in his life that had been good, because he was scared she'd get hurt, simply because she was with him. Like Jason had been.

"He was a seal?" Callen asked. It was an assumption but, given the rescue, it wasn't a big leap.

Kim nodded.

Another thought crossed his mind. "Was he the one you married?" Callen asked, almost reluctantly. _Well hallelujah, you've finally remembered._

"Yeah. About eight months later we got married."

Callen frowned. "That was quick."

Kim tensed, pushed him away from her and frowned.

"So?" she snapped.

"That's not what I meant," Callen said in an apologetic tone. He continued quickly, before she could jump to anymore conclusions. "You'd been through hell; kidnapping, rape, torture. Wouldn't have thought you would be ready for that kind of relationship that soon."

Callen watched her as she ran her hands up and down her arms, like a kind of comfort thing.

"I wasn't," Kim replied as she slowly calmed herself down. She still hated talking about that episode in her life. The only time she hated more was when he left. "That side didn't start for a while. He wanted me to feel safe with him. He waited until I was ready." It had been another six months before she had been.

"Sounds like a pretty great guy," Callen admitted. W_hat I should have been for you._

"Yeah, he is," Kim replied with a gentle smile.

Callen felt his heart break as he came to the realisation that he really wasn't going to get another chance with her.

"You deserve it," he said softly.

"He deserved better."

Kim's response made him frown. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"It didn't really work out in the end." When she'd come back from helping Gibbs in Russia pull Callen out, she told Brendan she couldn't do it. As much as she loved him. there was someone else and she couldn't give him everything he deserved. She told him everything she could, begged him to forgive her. He said there was nothing to forgive.

"Why?" Callen asked. _So does this mean you're not married? _

"Doesn't matter," Kim shook her head.

_No way am I telling you that I couldn't be what he deserved because I'm in love with you. _

"We're better off friends," she added.

_Did you notice your own slip then? Not was! _

"Still see him?" Callen asked. He wondered if he was the reason she'd been able to take down Sam.

"Yeah. Still teaches me what he can to help me stay safe. He's married again, two kids. Gorgeous girls. They call me Aunty Kim." She frowned.

"That's why this is so important." Kim stepped closer and pleaded with her eyes for him to help her see this through. "Every time I think about those other girls, I think about them. They're only five and three and I can't help but see it happening to them. I have to do everything for Casey and these other girls. Because one day, if it's Ashleigh or Kayla, I'd want someone to do everything for them. I can't fail G. Please, I have to get these guys. I have to find Casey."

Callen pulled her back into his arms. "We will," he promised. "You should have told me this before."

Kim shook her head and laid it against his shoulder.

"What? Give you another reason to pull me off, thinking I couldn't do this."

"No." Callen tilted her face back to him. "Just so I would've known."

"You know now." _ Just like you know I'm not married. My little safety net is gone. Why couldn't I have kept my mouth shut? I didn't get the name Ice Queen because I kept telling people my life story._

Kim pulled away and turned toward the bathroom.

"You know my shirt looks better on you than it ever did on me," Callen said, in an attempt to break the seriousness of the mood.

Kim shook her head, rolled her eyes, not that he could see. It was because of that simple fact that she actually smiled. In one quick move she pulled the shirt off and threw it at him, without turning around. She walked into the bathroom and closed the door as he said quietly, "Even better off."


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N - Okay TXJ, lets see how I did with a couple of your requests here._

_Thanks again my dear reviewers. It is a privilege entertaining you with this lovely story request.  
_

_Enjoy._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 13**

Callen's phone rang, just as Kim came out of the bathroom, bathrobe on. Callen answered it, putting on speaker so they could both hear.

"I need you two in here," Hetty said, getting straight to the point. "There have been some developments," she continued.

Kim frowned. She was about to ask a question when Callen responded for them.

"We'll leave in an hour," he said and hung up.

"Why an hour?" Kim asked, slightly frustrated that she hadn't been able to ask more.

Callen turned to her and raised his eyebrows. "Considering what we are supposed to be up to," Kim blushed slightly. He smiled and continued, "I don't really think it would be a good idea to walk out the door now."

He had a point. Kim went over to her side of the bed and sat back against the pillows, after grabbing her book of the nightstand.

She felt his eyes on her and she looked over at him with a frown.

"What?" Kim asked.

"I'm sorry," Callen said.

"For?"

"What happened to you," Callen replied. _Everything I've ever done to hurt you._

Which time? Kim almost asked. "Always a risk in this line of work that you'll get hurt," she said as she returned to her book, or at least tried to.

"Bella -" he started.

"Beth," Kim corrected. She looked up at him briefly. "Look, it doesn't matter. It's in the past, has to be."

_Keep saying that Kimmy, one day it might just sink in._

Callen watched her for a while from the chair, smiled slightly as he realised she wasn't exactly reading anymore. He knew how fast she read and she should have turned at least two pages by now.

_All in the past huh Bella? You know I could always tell when you were lying._

It didn't feel in the past to him. Fifteen years, no contact and he hadn't forgotten a single thing about her. What she liked, the way she felt, little things that gave away lies and nervousness. She was better trained now but she still had small tells that were her. A slight increase in blinking, the tiny distortion of her lip as she bit the inside - no one would see it if they didn't know what to look for. She was doing it right now. He knew that the past did matter. Because if it didn't, working together would have been extremely simple, uneventful and, nowhere near as interesting.

~~~o

Just over an hour later, they finally arrived at the office.

"What are these developments?" Kim asked, a touch impatiently as they walked into the ops centre. She hated down time like they'd just had, no matter how interesting the book was. _Yeah, how much did you actually read?_

"Agent Fletcher will fill you in. Eric, please get him on the line," Hetty instructed. Kim rested her hands flat on the table in front of her. She was impatient and wanted to know what was going on. Hands on the table stopped her showing that. It was a little trick she'd learnt early on in her training as she had a bad habit of fiddling with her fingers when she felt that way. She could do it with anything remotely flat; table, tops of her legs, book.

"Coming right up," Eric replied.

They looked at the screen and within seconds, a familiar face popped up and Kim smiled at her team mate.

"Hey Kim," Neil greeted, returning her smile. However, that died on his lips the moment he looked at Callen.

"Callen," he added tersely.

_Guess he remembers me. Doesn't like me so much anymore._

"Fletcher," Callen greeted calmly. "Good to see you again."

Neil didn't respond, just turned his attention back to Kim, who Callen noticed was trying not to laugh.

"What is it Neil? What have you found?" Kim asked. She could see the protective look on Neil's face when he had realised Callen was there. Though she was pretty sure it wasn't from shock, as Neil would have been filled in on who she was working with. Kim was sure it would have had to do with Callen standing so close to her. Close enough that their arms were brushing against one another.

Neil frowned slightly and Kim knew from the look on his face that she wasn't going to like what he had to say. "Looks like there might be more kidnappings." She was right.

"How many?" Kim asked.

"So far, we've found three more possible ones." Eric brought up the new information as Neil spoke.

The tension in the room magnified at this news. It wasn't something any of them wanted to hear.

"Connected with the L.A. ones?" Callen asked.

"Only one," Neil confirmed as Eric blew that one up on the screen. "The others have possible connections in Miami, similar in that the child was female thirteen to fifteen, being looked after by someone other than the parents."

Kim ran her hand through her hair in frustration. Callen placed his hand on her back to reassure her. It was an unconscious reaction, something he used to do before. For some reason it had always helped her. It had become instinct when he sensed she needed comfort or something to calm her down.

"Kim," Neil said gaining her attention, which had just started to drift to the feel of Callen's hand on her back.

"More?" she asked, disbelief in her tone.

"We've only gone back another two months. If they've been trying to find something different to keep the suppliers happy since the GFC began," Neil trailed off and Kim quickly did the math.

"Even if it took them a year from when it started, eight in four months could mean more than forty children if it's been at the same rate," she said, closing her eyes when she had finished as she fought back the distress she was feeling. Her emotions were quite close to the surface after this afternoon. She opened them to see Neil nod in agreement.

There was silence in the room as this possibility sunk into all of them. None of them wanted to believe it but it was highly unlikely that they had managed to stumble on this right at the beginning. It seemed like a too well oiled machine for that.

"Somebody please tell me this is a nightmare," Kim begged, her hand covering her mouth at the sick feeling that settled in her stomach.

Callen pulled her to him, his hand slipping easily from the place of reassurance on her back to around her waist as he did. She turned into him, no hesitation, and put her head on his shoulder, whilst she took some deep breaths. He tried not to smile at how easily she accepted him this time.

"Too many." Kim shook her head. "This is so much bigger than we first thought."

"We'll get them," Callen promised, as he narrowly avoided dropping a kiss on the top of her head. He wasn't about to push his luck too much right now. _I promise I won't let you down this time. Never again._

Kim made her own promise, hers out loud. "I won't stop until we do."

"I know," Callen said gently as she looked up at him. Kim turned back to Neil but remained close to Callen, close enough that if he hadn't let her go, she'd still technically be in his arms.

"Neil, what else can we do?" Kim asked. "The set up isn't until tomorrow night. We can't change that."

"There's nothing you can do," Neil shook his head. "We'll keep working on this end trying to track down what we can. See if there might be a connection between the Miami and L.A ones. If there is, that might give us more to go on." Neil sounded hopeful and Kim grasped hold of that, feeling a little of it flare in her too.

"I doubt it," Matthews added. Callen turned and glared at him. They didn't need a downer right now. They'd had enough. But Matthews wasn't looking at him and continued. "The drug cartels of Miami and L.A. might have the same ideas but, doubtful they're working together."

"I'm working with your guys to see what we can come up with," Neil replied, not letting Matthews attitude change anything. Neil turned back to Kim, "If we get anything, Eric will have it straight away for you," he reassured her.

"Thanks Neil," Kim said with a fleeting smile.

"Kim," Neil said, his tone cautious.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. Don't want -" Neil stopped as he glanced at Callen.

Kim smiled and nodded. She knew he was referring to Callen not just the mission. "I will."

Eric cut the feed and they all looked at each other.

"What do we do Hetty? We can't just wait," Kim said as she turned to face Hetty. Callen found it pleasantly surprising that Kim had accepted Hetty's control over this mission. He didn't know too many agents that would accept it so easily, especially on ones that they felt so strongly about.

Hetty stepped toward the two of them, pleased to see that there had been a dramatic change in their attitude toward each other.

"You two need to keep this going," she told them. "We are concerned about the way they are watching you."

Callen and Kim both frowned. Hetty's tone was serious and concerned.

"How much?" Callen asked. He knew that the camera under the door had seemed a bit excessive. What else was there?

"Show them please Eric," Hetty said.

Eric brought up on the screen various different camera angles. They turned and looked. It showed their movements all around the hotel.

"These feeds have been forwarded to a remote computer. Every time you step out of your room, they see it. They have every open area covered that you could be in," Eric explained. "I'm still trying to trace that one. It's bounced around about ten different servers so far, but I haven't given up. The feed from the one under your door could only broadcast to about 200 metres."

"So they were in the hotel?" Kim asked.

"Or the cars outside," Eric agreed. "I'm running every number plate I can get from the parking lot and areas around, matching them up with guest registrations and tracing the rest. Hoping to get a hit soon on something that doesn't fit."

Kim's breath caught as the footage from their room came up on the screen. It was surprisingly good considering the camera that had been used. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks as she heard a low whistle from someone in the room, which cut off abruptly. She wasn't sure who and she certainly didn't look around to try and place it.

Callen on the other hand knew exactly where it had come from. He glared at Matthews who was standing next to Sam. Sam caught his look and slapped Matthews on the back of the head, cutting off the whistle. Callen had to admit that Sam had done a very good job of channeling Gibbs with it.

Hetty cleared her throat and Eric looked up.

"Oops, sorry," Eric said, a blush on his face too, and switched off that particular feed.

"It does seem a bit excessive," Callen added, frowning as he tried to make sense of such close surveillance.

"It does," Sam agreed, "Unless it's what they usually do," he added as he stepped closer to them.

"Is there anyway to find out?" Kim asked, looking between Eric and Sam. Her nerves were on edge, knowing they'd been so closely watched. It didn't make sense.

"No," Eric shook his head. "The security camera footage is physically archived and stored off site in tape format. There's only three days worth on the network. We'd have to 'acquire it' and download it. Then search it. If we did that," he trailed off. It was obvious what that would mean.

"We set off warning bells," Kim concluded. She took a deep breath as she thought about what they could do. "Okay," she continued. "Set up a plan. We need those tapes after this all goes down. Maybe we'll find something else or someone else on them that will help get the other girls back," she added, hopeful.

_Why are they watching us like this? Surely we're convincing enough. _ Kim thought over what they had done, how they'd behaved. Nothing stood out that could have told anyone they weren't who they said they were.

"In the meantime," Hetty interrupted Kim's thoughts, "you two should head back to the hotel for dinner."

"Hetty I-" Kim started to say. She needed to figure this out.

"Kim, she's right," Callen said gently, putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her to face him. "We need to get back." He knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to figure out who was watching them. It was the one part of the undercover mission that she'd hated; the waiting. Letting someone else do the work to find the information for them.

"But -"

Callen shook his head and Kim stopped.

"There is nothing we can do here," he said. "Let's go back and see if we can get that reservation out of our friendly bartender."

Kim took a deep breath as she looked at him. _Fine, at least we'll be doing something. _She nodded reluctantly.

"But first, we'll need to get you an outfit for tomorrow night. Follow me," ordered Hetty, her tone much more cheerier, as she turned toward the door.

"We've got things to wear," Kim protested as she looked in the direction Hetty had gone.

"I have something more appropriate." Hetty turned back and gave them a little wiggle of her finger, silently telling them to move. Now.

They followed. Kim more reluctantly than Callen, as he was used to this side of Hetty. There was no point protesting or fighting. It was going to happen one way or another. He wasn't particularly keen on finding out just how far Hetty would go to get him dressed the way she wanted.

"Miss Donovan, please try this on." Hetty handed Kim a dress and pointed to the curtain that passed as a changing room. "Mr Callen, this is for you."

"Do I need to try it on?" he asked as he took the bag Hetty handed him and looked inside.

"No. I am remarkably confident that it will fit perfectly," Hetty replied. She dressed him enough to know that the suit would fit.

Callen sat on a chair nearby and waited patiently for Kim.

"Hetty, are you sure about this?" came her voice. Callen held back a smile. She sounded nervous and that, in itself, intrigued him.

"Is there a problem?" Hetty asked innocently. Callen looked at his little boss, saw her hold back a smile and noticed the twinkle in her eye. He was even more curious now.

"It's just -"

"Just what? Speak Miss Donovan. Better yet, come out," Hetty beckoned. Callen saw Hetty briefly give in to the smile she was fighting.

Kim walked out and Callen let out a whistle of appreciation, with no head smack in sight, thankfully. She blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Hetty this just isn't me," Kim said.

_Love the dress, looks great. So can't handle wearing it around him._

Callen looked her over slowly. The blue brought out her eyes, the dress itself showed her curves perfectly without being overly revealing, and it fell to her knees, leaving enough of her legs to distract him, should the rest of it fail to do so.

_I disagree. It's most definitely you. _

"It's not meant to be you," Hetty added. "It is meant to be Beth Cartwright."

"I think it's perfect," Callen added. Kim turned to him with an exasperated look. He smiled.

_She actually thought I was going to back her up. _

"I'm sure Jo would definitely agree," Callen continued, a slightly lopsided grin on his face, that did strange things to Kim's heart rate.

She rolled her eyes. _Typical, show a little skin and the guy is happy. _

"Hetty it's -"

"Nonsense," Hetty cut off her protest. "You are celebrating a milestone. Your husband is spoiling you."

Callen grinned as Hetty used their line from the pool that first day.

"Do we really want everyone looking at us?" Kim asked in desperation.

Callen stood up and walked over to her.

"Stop protesting," he said softly. "You look great. I promise to protect you."

"From what?" Kim's eyes slid away from his. Callen put his hand on her cheek and coaxed her to look at him.

"Anyone trying to do more than look," Callen said when he had her gaze focused on him.

"Who's going to protect me from you?" slipped out of her mouth. _Did you really have to say that? _She started to turn away, he pulled her back.

"I won't hurt you," Callen assured her.

Kim tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. _Don't you know you already are? _But she didn't say anything.

"Well now that is sorted, Miss Donovan, time to get changed." Hetty's words broke the mood and Kim was finally able to move away and retreat to behind the curtain.

Callen turned to Hetty as his boss touched his arm, drawing his attention away from where Kim had disappeared. She handed him a wrapped present.

Callen frowned. "What's this?" he asked as he looked at the box she had given him.

"For tomorrow morning. Remember, it is your anniversary and people are watching. Closely." Hetty looked up at him over the rims of her glasses. "You do have something acceptably romantic planned, correct Mr Cartwright?"

Callen's frown deepened. "No," he admitted. He hadn't even thought about it. Given they were being watched so closely, he should definitely rectify that.

"I suggest you make some," Hetty advised and walked away. He didn't have much time to consider her advice when he heard Sam call out to him. He turned and walked over to Sam, slipping the present into the bag that held his suit for tomorrow night.

"What's up Sam?" he asked.

"Whilst you're here, talk to Kensi. Please."

Callen frowned. Sam sounded serious. "About?"

"She's going out with Jordan again."

Callen looked around for Kensi but couldn't see her.

"Jordan?" he repeated, thinking. "The one from a few months ago?" No way would Kensi agree to that. She'd ranted about the guy for a couple of weeks, at least.

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Kensi's agreed to a second date?" Sam nodded. "With Jordan?" Callen asked, disbelief clearly in his voice.

"Yeah." Sam repeated with another nod. "Come on G, she'll listen to you."

Callen gave a light chuckle. "Doubt it. She never listens to either of us about the guys she dates."

"Why would she?" Kim asked. Callen turned to her. "If you two act like over protective brothers all the time," she continued as she joined them, her dress now placed in a bag similar to his. Looked like they'd had been out shopping this afternoon.

"We don't," Sam protested.

"You do," Kensi added as she walked past.

"Kenz," Callen called. Kensi turned and smiled at him, continuing to walk backwards.

"None of your business Callen. I don't tell you how to play husband. Leave me to my own date," she said. Kensi turned and continued to walk away.

Sam followed them as Callen and Kim started to head out of the office, continuing his conversation with Callen about Kensi's unbelievable second date.

"Why's she taking him back?" Sam asked.

Callen shrugged. "Maybe she actually likes him," he suggested, as unlikely as that sounded even to his own ears.

Sam looked at Callen, disbelief on his face. "You do remember how she complained about how bad he was, right?"

Callen did, but he didn't have an answer. Kensi and dating was something he'd always had a little trouble deciphering.

Sam gave up on Callen and looked at Kim

"You're a girl," he said. Kim looked at him, raised her eyebrows at his obvious description of her, as he continued, "Why's she going back to him?"

"How am I supposed to know? Don't know the guy," Kim replied.

"What would it take for you to give a guy a second chance?" Sam asked. He glanced at Callen and Callen noticed a slight twinkle in Sam's eye. Somehow he had a feeling the conversation had just shifted from Kensi and her date to them.

Kim shrugged.

"So a guy only gets one chance with you?" Callen asked. He could work with what Sam had started.

"Maybe he's one of those people in life who just come and go," Kim said, "and no matter how many times they walk out the door, there you are," Callen opened the office door and held it for her as she continued, "opening it for them again."

_Maybe she might be willing after all._

"So you would open the door for someone again?" he asked, trying to keep his tone neutral.

"I wasn't the one who closed it. He's the one who'd have to open it," Kim replied as they arrived at the car. Sam took the bags and put them in the trunk, as Callen opened Kim's door for her.

"And why would he open the door for you?" Callen asked.

"Because he loved me," Kim said simply. _Kim, what are you doing? … I haven't the faintest idea, you tell me._

Their eyes briefly locked on one another. Kim was on one side of the car door, Callen was on the other, holding it open.

Kim shook her head, hoping he hadn't notice the heat that had just risen to her cheeks, and gave a small shrug as she continued. "But then what would I know? If he had've, he wouldn't have closed the door in the first place," she finished as she got in the car.

Callen closed the door before saying softly, "Don't be so sure." _If he thought it would be safer for you, he would have._

Sam walked up beside him.

"You know you're in -."

"Shut up Sam."


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews and alerts. Always appreciated._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_Enjoy..._

**Chapter 14**

As they walked through the glass front doors of the hotel, Callen slipped his arm around Kim and she laid her head on his shoulder, giving the appearance of being tired. Actually, she wasn't faking, She was mentally exhausted from this mission. Between trying to hide from him, trying to keep her emotions in check regarding the mission itself and everything they had just learnt, she was having a little bit of trouble at the moment. As they approached the elevator, they heard someone call out to Jo Cartwright and turned around.

There was Gavin, walking towards them.

Callen waited patiently, running his fingers gently in circles on Kim's shoulder, trying to help her relax slightly.

"Managed to get you in. Eight pm tomorrow night," Gavin told them with a smile, as he handed Callen a slip of paper. "This is where you're going."

"Thanks," Callen replied, a congenial smile forming on his face.

Kim's lips twitched in a tired, half-hearted smile. She wasn't game to say anything. This guy's voice made her feel sick to the stomach the more she thought about what he was involved in, especially after what they had just found out.

"Big day?" Gavin asked, looking from Kim to Callen.

"She took me shopping. Always leaves her tired," Callen answered, aware of the tension in Kim that had increased when Gavin approached. He lifted the bags he was holding as he spoke, adding to the truth of his words.

Gavin gave a fake shudder. "I let my girlfriend do that kind of stuff on her own. Women shopping." He shook his head, almost in disgust.

_You actually have a girlfriend do you? Wonder what she thinks about your side business._

"One day you'll understand," Callen replied, with a somewhat wise tone. At least that was the way it sounded to Kim, who struggled not to laugh.

"Understand?" Gavin frowned, confusion clearly on his face.

Callen smiled and looked down at Kim's face, which she turned to look up at him, wondering about his answer as well.

"Sometimes it's worth it to put up with something you don't like," Callen said softly and proceeded to give her a slow, gentle yet passionate kiss. Kim could barely breathe by the time he had finished. The kiss had taken her by surprise. When his head had moved closer to hers, she'd just expected him to give her a quick, chaste kiss. She couldn't have been more wrong.

Callen pulled back and took a moment to just look at Kim, judge her reaction to what he had just done. He knew he had just taken advantage of the situation. But he didn't care about that. He had his work cut out for him if he was to stand a chance with her and he would use every moment he could to make her believe in him again.

"Thanks for this," Callen said as he looked back at Gavin, holding up the piece of paper.

"Do you need a table for dinner here tonight?" Gavin asked.

_Please don't say yes, _Kim begged him silently. She was still reeling from his kiss and was desperately looking for some down time from pretending. _Pretending? You sure that's what you are doing?_

Callen shook his head. "Room service tonight."

Gavin raised his eyebrows, a suggestive look on his face, "Have a good one."

"It will be," Callen agreed, knowing exactly what the young man was thinking would be happening. He continued to guide Kim to the elevator, and they stepped into it with another couple.

As it started moving up, Kim asked. "You don't like shopping?"

"I like what comes later," Callen replied, as he turned to face her, moving slightly closer as he did. Unconsciously, she took a small step back.

"Which is?" _Guessing you really are tired if you couldn't see where that question was going to lead._

Kim saw the mischief in his eyes as Callen closed the distance between them and, his tone rather intimate, asked, "You want me to show you here or in the room?"

Kim's eyes darted across to the other couple who were trying very hard not to look at them. She looked back to Callen and, at the look in his eyes, she felt like some poor defenseless animal, caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle, not able to move or look away. She knew what was coming was going to hurt but the light was too tempting to move away from.

They continued to stare at each other as Callen waited for her answer, which didn't come. Kim was too afraid to open her mouth, worried that she just might ask him to show her now.

_What exactly are you worried about? What he might do or what you might do in response?_

The elevator doors opened. Callen took her hand, moved them out of the elevator and guided her down the hall to their room. As Callen closed and locked the door, Kim put her handbag down and turned around.

Discovering that it had been serviced whilst they were out, she tensed, suddenly nervous as she remembered how closely they were being watched. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Eric 'Please tell me the room's clean.' She didn't know if she could handle having to continue the show right now.

Callen put the bags down on the bed and she put a finger to his lips so he didn't say anything. She showed him the text she had sent and Callen nodded his understanding. They carefully removed their clothes from the bags Hetty had given them and hung them up whilst they waited. Callen slipping the present into one of his drawers whilst she wasn't looking.

"Everything's clear. But you should know something about tomorrow night," came Eric's response through their ear pieces.

"What?" Kim asked as she turned and looked at Callen, letting out a sigh of relief whilst they listened.

"One thing first. I got a hit on a van outside the hotel from earlier today. Managed to connect it to the drug cartel. So looks like it's them watching you, which is good. Right?" Eric sounded a little unsure.

"Yeah Eric, that's what we want," Callen replied. Not exactly. Being watched that closely wasn't particularly what they were hoping for, but at least they seemed to be on the right track. "What else?"

"Turns out Seasons Restaurant is a dead zone, reception wise."

"So no phones," Callen confirmed.

"You won't be in contact at all," Eric elaborated.

Kim frowned. "What do you mean?"

"We've just sent someone in to check it out. Both the phone and the ear piece lost signal the moment they went inside the doors."

"Coincidence or deliberate?" Callen asked. He saw the concern on Kim's face.

"Deliberate we think," Eric said. "I did a search on the web. Apparently it's one of the reasons why the restaurant is so popular. You can go there and not be interrupted. It's not an advertised feature, but suggestions are it was deliberate. Given that the ear piece went down too, I'd be inclined to agree with that."

"So we won't know what's going on with the mission?" Kim asked. This wasn't what she wanted. She hated being in the dark.

"No, and it will just be the two of you." Eric added. "There's no way we can get anyone in with you. Waiting list is about six weeks."

Kim looked at Callen. She trusted him, his team and hers. Matthews. Mentally she shrugged. Maybe. She smiled slightly and assured Eric, "We'll be fine. You guys just make sure you take care of the rest."

Her smile got a little bit bigger as she joked. "Plus, a night off should be fun."

"It will not be a night off Agent Donovan," came Hetty's serious response. Kim grimaced and bit her lip. Callen grinned a little. "You will not know who is watching," Hetty continued. "We will not be able to assist you with any details. You will be flying blind. If things go wrong in the restaurant, there will be no back up."

"Bingo," they heard Eric.

"We are not in a gaming hall, Mr Beale," Hetty reprimanded him.

"Sorry Hetty. Just managed to get into the restaurant's security system. We'll at least be able to watch them now. Don't know who did it, but it was top of the line and hard to hack into."

"But you did and I would expect nothing less of you Mr Beale," Hetty responded.

"We'll be fine Hetty. Don't worry about us," Callen assured her.

"If only that were possible Mr Callen. Have a good night," Hetty finished.

Callen picked up the room service menu as Kim slipped her ear piece out.

"Hungry already?" Kim asked, putting the ear piece on the drawers where she always did.

Callen looked over to her, tempted to answer a different question than the one she was actually asking. He saw her blush slightly.

_On her mind too. This could be get interesting, now that I know she's not married ...You didn't care about that when it got interesting earlier ...And you would have if you'd been in that position? ... I wasn't in that position G, you were ...You saying you wouldn't have been interested? ... She's not my girl. _

Kim was looking at him strangely and he stopped his imaginary mental debate with Sam.

"Order now, we'll at least get it at a decent time," Callen finally answered her question. "What do you want?" Callen handed her the menu, his fingers brushing hers as he did. Kim pulled back quickly at the sparks she felt. Callen tried not to smile, he'd felt them too. He also removed his ear piece.

"Not really hungry," Kim replied. She ended up choosing a salad and a slice of chocolate mud cake for dessert, before she headed to the shower. She hoped the warm water would help her relax. There had been too much in this day already.

Callen watched her walk into the bathroom and close the door. He ordered their dinner and then walked out onto the balcony to think.

He knew this had gotten personal again, even if she tried to deny it. This afternoon had been proof enough of that. It might have started as a show for that camera, but it certainly hadn't continued that way for long. He'd actually been unpleasantly surprised when Eric had come back on line and told them they were safe. He'd forgotten all about him. He had wanted to continue, and it hadn't just been because he was enjoying himself or that he knew she had wanted to as well. It had felt right between them, like it always had, and he'd momentarily forgotten that it was just supposed to be a job. He guessed some things definitely hadn't changed. All he could hope right now was, that when this job was over, he didn't hurt her again. Well that, and hope that she would be willing to give him a chance to make it up to her.

Callen rolled his eyes slightly as the inner dialogue in his head started up again.

_G ... What Sam? ... Don't do this ... Do what? ... Push this with her ... Stay out of it Sam ... Don't do it. Unless you love her._

He didn't know how long he continued to stand there for, before he felt Kim's arms slip around him and she rested her head against his back.

"Standing out here all on your own. Whatever will people think?" she asked softly.

"Enjoying the view," he replied, not that he had seen much. He hadn't really been looking. He'd been going over everything in his mind. What he had done, said, how she had reacted. What he knew about her now. What he felt for her, then and now. Trying to sort through all of that. What his eyes were seeing didn't really register.

Kim continued to stand there holding him for a few minutes, not saying anything. She didn't know what to say. Just knew that standing here, her head against his back, her arms around him, was a perfect moment.

_You are going to be in so much ...Stop, I know. I don't need you reminding me that this is going to hurt._ She quickly blinked back the tears that formed in her eyes at the thought.

Callen didn't move, not until he heard voices again on the balcony above them. He turned around and tilted her face up to look at him. "I love you," he said softly and caught her lips in a long, deep kiss, before she could reply. He didn't want to hear her say the words back, not unless she meant them too. After everything he'd put her through, he didn't think that was likely. It was something he could hope would change though.


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N - Thanks for the reviews. Enjoy breakfast. Date night, next chapter._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Chapter 15**

Callen followed Hetty's advice and had a special breakfast organised. Given that they were being watched on the security camera's throughout the hotel, he decided to order something special from the kitchen and have them bring it up, complete with flowers, making obvious something special was happening.

He set it up on the balcony again, before he woke her. Though he did take a few minutes just to lie next to her on the bed and watch her sleep, as he wondered whether he had made a huge mistake all those years ago. Maybe he should have stayed.

_You know you did. You know you should have._

Callen knew she still thought it hadn't gotten personal for him, knew from the look in her eyes that it still hurt when she thought about what he had said near the end. He knew it wouldn't be easy, getting her to trust him again. He'd hurt her too badly for it to be a matter of a simple 'I'm sorry'. Even if he all he could do was find a way to take the pain out of her eyes for good, that would do him. If he could give her that...

_That's all you want? ... No, Sam. Of course not. But if that's all I can get, I'll take it ... So you do love her ... Go away Sam, this is a private moment._

Kim started to move slightly, signs she wasn't far from waking up and and he moved closer on the bed, wondering just how far he could push his luck with his role this morning. Whether kissing her to wake her up would get him into more trouble. She rolled over and moved into his arms, still asleep. He took a slow, deep breath as he reigned in his reactions to having her so near. Now wasn't the time to do what he wanted. He loved holding her like this, it had been the way they had slept back then. He remembered using the excuse that they might be being watched. Their apartment at the time was a ground floor one, easy access to the windows. She'd never complained about the idea, hadn't even questioned it, just smiled and moved into his arms. Almost like she'd only been waiting for an invitation.

Callen needed to wake her up, otherwise the breakfast would be ruined. He ran his fingers over her arm and she responded as she used to; moved closer in, burying her head in his neck, like she didn't want to wake up. He smiled and did it again. Then he felt her hand move slowly over his chest as her lips found their way to his neck and she kissed him. Callen wondered whether she was awake or dreaming. When she pulled back, he turned his head toward her and saw her eyes were open, a flush on her cheeks.

"Sorry," Kim said. "Forgot where I was." She rolled away, but he pulled her back. Kim swallowed nervously.

_Must remember to wake up completely and check where I am before I do anything, in my dream or otherwise._

"Don't be sorry," Callen said softly. He saw the confused look in her eyes and thought perhaps he should behave. "Breakfast is on the table outside," he added in a more normal tone.

"Oh." Kim made to move away again.

Callen held her where she was and she gave him an exasperated look.

"I am trying to get up," Kim said.

Callen grinned. "And I'm trying to say Good morning."

"Good morning," she replied. This time her look was expectant, that he was going to let her go. But he wasn't quite ready to do that yet.

"You remember what today is?"

She frowned. Of course she knew what day it was. A girl doesn't forget her own birthday.

"Happy Anniversary Mrs Cartwright," Callen reminded her, frowning slightly at the look on her face. He couldn't believe she would have forgotten that detail of the mission.

"Oh, that." Kim looked away.

Callen frowned this time. "What did you think I was meaning?"

_What was he missing?_

"Nothing. Shall we eat?"

_Of course he wouldn't remember. Why would he? Just because he knew it back then._

"Bella," Callen said.

"Don't," Kim stopped him. Sleep hadn't helped. She was still exhausted. "Let's just do this okay. Get today done. Hopefully, the end of the day will finish this."

Everyday was getting easier and harder at the same time to be around him. The game got easier. After, when there was no one to witness, it was harder to stop herself falling for him again, that is if she'd ever stopped. She pulled on the bathrobe and moved toward the door that led onto the balcony.

"Wait," Callen said as she was almost there. Kim turned and looked at him, a tilt to her head, a curious expression on her face. "It's a special day and who knows who could be watching," he said as he got up off the bed.

"So?"

"We should go out together," Callen added.

Kim rolled her eyes at him as he came closer. She turned to walk out the door and he put his hands over her eyes.

"G!" she exclaimed as she stopped her progress.

"Jo," he whispered in her ear. Callen felt her tense and then slowly relax, just a little. If he was going to get another chance with her, he was going to have a serious amount of work to do. "Slowly. I won't let you fall," he promised.

"You'll be in trouble if you do," Kim told him. Callen fought back a chuckle, though he did let himself smile, as he guided her out onto the balcony and uncovered her eyes.

"When did you do this?" Kim asked softly, hardly able to believe what she could see in front of her. Flowers, table cloth, food, at least she assumed that was what was under the silver lids. This wasn't the usual way breakfast came in the mornings, not this fancy.

_Just a job, remember Bella ... Kim ... Great, now I'm slipping._

"Last night. Set it up whilst you slept in."

"Slept in?" Kim looked at him. "Is this what you call a sleep in. It 7am."

"We'll go back to bed after breakfast," Callen suggested. Kim frowned but quickly smiled suggestively to cover it, just in case there was someone watching.

"Really? You don't have other plans for today?" she asked.

"I have plans but, taking you back to bed, well, that trumps everything else," Callen replied, silencing her with a kiss as she was about to protest.

He took advantage of her temporary silence once he pulled back, to whisper in her ear that they had company on the balcony above. He didn't know who it was but he had heard voices.

"Well then, we'd better get started. What do we have?" Kim asked.

"Your favourite," Callen replied, a mysterious smile on his face.

Kim raised her eyebrows, curious. "Which would be?" She was pretty sure there had been nothing in the back story Eric had created for them about favourite foods.

"Pancakes, fresh fruit, cream and a sprinkling of chocolate," he said as he uncovered her breakfast.

Kim was speechless as she glanced between the breakfast and him and back again. For a moment Callen wasn't sure if he'd gone too far. He knew this was her favourite, at least it had been before.

Kim was confused. _Why would he do this? Maybe..._Kim pulled herself together. "Nice to see with all your traveling you haven't forgotten the little things," she replied as she sat down.

_How had he remembered? What had he actually remembered? _

Fifteen years ago he'd made her this for her birthday when they'd been together. It had become a leisurely Sunday morning tradition, amongst other things. She wondered whether he remembered the date as well. She thought he had earlier this morning when he asked if she knew what day it was.

Callen reached down under his chair and pulled out the present Hetty had given him. He had no idea what it was but he trusted Hetty.

Kim just looked at him like he was crazy. Callen heard voices from above them again. He stood up and walked over to her, knelt down in front, one hand resting on her knee.

"I know we said no presents, but I couldn't resist." Callen moved up and kissed her very gently. She looked so confused.

"Beth?" He only just managed to get the name right, the voices from above helping.

"I'm...Sorry, think I'm still asleep." Seriously she was having such a problem getting into character this morning, it was ridiculous. Maybe she was getting too old for this job. Kim gave herself a mental shake.

"Thank you," she managed to add.

"Might want to save that until you open it," Callen replied, carefully watching her. Something was going on with her and he wasn't quite sure what.

Kim smiled and did. She opened the box and her breath caught as she looked at the necklace lying on the black velvet inside.

Callen finally saw what it was Hetty had given him for her. He carefully took the necklace out. Hetty had pulled out all the stops on this one. He didn't know how she did it, but this was perfect. Callen moved behind Kim, gently eased her hair out of the way and put it on, leaning close as he whispered. "Hetty's good. Relax," She was so tense.

Kim closed her eyes, only opening them when she felt him move back in front of her.

"Perfect," Callen said, meaning it about more than just the necklace.

"Yeah," Kim agreed, looking down. "Perfect," she added softly. She knew it would go brilliantly with the dress for tonight. She blinked back the tears. She should have taken Hetty up on her offer to take her off this case. For fifteen years she managed never to let anything about her job get personal again. Now here he was and she couldn't remember a thing about how to shut it off.

Callen tilted her head up and she eventually looked at him. She saw a frown flutter across his face, ever so quickly, then he smiled, moved down close to her and kissed her again. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck, holding him close.

_Kim, you shouldn't be doing this ... It's going to hurt anyway, might as well get something good out of it … But … But what? It's for the mission, anyone could be watching … You're dreaming girl if you think this is for the mission ... then don't wake me._

Callen pulled back and cleared his throat. That had been some kiss.

"We should eat, before..." he started.

"Yeah, before they get ruined," Kim agreed, keeping her eyes away from him, not entirely sure how she'd actually managed to get the words out. Her heart was aching, there was this lump in her throat, she wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to eat and she knew her control right now was about zero.

_Told you you shouldn't be doing that … Just do me a favour and don't tell me not to jump off a cliff._

Callen moved back to his seat and they ate quietly.

"So what plans do you have for today?" Kim asked him when they had finished eating.

"What ever you want to do, after we have our sleep in," Callen answered as he stood up, took her hand and pulled her up into his arms. After kissing her again, he picked her up and carried her inside, putting her gently down on the bed.

"Sleep if you want," he said as he pulled back.

"And if I don't want?" she asked. _Are you crazy? Are you really inviting him to... You're right. I can't go there._

Callen froze at her question. He was still standing right next to her, she was lying on the bed.

"What would you like to do?" Callen wondered what she would have said if she'd taken him up on her unspoken offer. The one he had briefly seen in her eyes when she asked the question.

"Maybe we should get out, go to office see if there is anything new," Kim suggested, hoping he'd agreed. She had a feeling being out and playing her role, or at least in the company of others, would be lot easier than staying in and being herself.

Callen shook his head. "We're being watched, not worth the risk going to the office. Hetty will call if there is anything we need to know."

Kim put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

"Bella," he started. He wanted to talk about what had happened. See if he could somehow start to fix things between them.

The feelings that name evoked in her had Kim getting up off the bed quickly, moving around him and ensuring she didn't bump into him. "I'm going to have a soak in the bath," she said as she moved. She went into the bathroom and closed the door, flicking the lock into place. No reason to tempt either of them.

Kim turned the taps on to fill the bath, threw some bubble mix in and then turned to the mirror, taking in the flushed expression and the look in her eyes.

_Focus._ _Casey, Ashleigh, Kayla. Think about them._ _You have to do this for them._

There were other girls as well, ones she didn't know of and ones she did. She couldn't let this get personal. She couldn't fail them.

Reverently, she fingered the necklace as she looked at it through the mirror. It was beautiful, not big or gaudy, but a delicate gold chain with a drop section that held a small heart shaped diamond on it. It was perfect. It would fall to the perfect spot when she had the dress on tonight. For a brief moment she'd thought it was actually from him, because it was exactly the kind of thing he would get for her; had gotten for her in the past. Delicate and beautiful. Carefully she took it off, laying it down gently on one of the small towels.

Kim stepped into the bath, sinking down into the warm, bubble filled water. She needed this time, needed to find Beth again. She'd stay in here as long as she had to, even if the water ended up cold. Because right now, everything she felt was very much Bella. Bella who wasn't supposed to exist anymore, because Bella had to die fifteen years ago, or else she would have from the pain in her heart.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N - So here is the date chapter. A bit of fun, a bit of everyone. It's a selection of scenes from the night._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Chapter 16**

Kim ordered Callen into the bathroom for a shower later that afternoon, commandeering it as soon as he was done, hard as that had been when he walked out, with the towel around his waist and still slightly wet. She need time again. The shower, the routine of getting ready. That would help her. She knew that tonight was important. So many things could happen, could go right or wrong. Hopefully by the end of the night, Casey would be home with her family, this mission would be over and the bad guys lives would be miserable as they rotted in jail. _And G?_

She washed and dried her hair, curled it, taking comfort in these small tasks that would help turn her into Beth Cartwright.

The make-up done, the perfume on, she turned to the dress hanging on the back of the door. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. _Casey, mission, the other girls. That's what you are doing this for. That is why you are going to put that dress on, and walk out of here as Beth._

Kim carefully took the dress off the hanger and slipped into it. She turned and looked at herself in the mirror.

It did fit perfectly. Hetty certainly did good work. She turned away from the mirror, placed her hand on the door handle and closed her eyes as she took some calming breaths.

Callen looked around at the sound of the bathroom door opening. His fingers stopped working on his tie as he got distracted with her. She looked even better than before.

Kim looked over at him, saw the look on his face, the appreciation in his eyes and she blushed, relieved that he probably couldn't tell because of the make-up.

Callen tried to figure out what to say, because a compliment was definitely in order. But he couldn't come up with anything before she smiled at him.

"Nothing to say? Speechless? That's a first," Kim teased, trying to break the tension that was between the two of them. He looked amazing and, she wasn't entirely sure how he managed to be a whole lot more tempting in the suit than he had in the towel._ You always liked him in a suit. Out of it as well._

"Got plenty to say, not sure you want me to though," Callen teased back, stopping her thoughts from running too far down that track.

"I can't believe that you have things you don't think your wife would want to hear," Kim replied as she picked up her shoes and sat on the bed to slip them on her feet.

Callen moved to her side, helped her with the small buckles that went around her ankles and pulled her up. The high heels bringing her almost to his height, though that would change when he put his shoes on.

"Beautiful ... Seductive … Tempting ... Enchanting," Callen listed. She was all of those things, and more. He held back what he really wanted to say, not the right time when they were going out on a mission.

Kim raised her eyebrows as the smile she'd been holding back turned into a light laugh and Callen stopped trying to figure out the next one for the list.

"You think I'm enchanting?" Kim asked. She shook her head. "I don't have a magic wand. I haven't placed a spell on you."

Callen slid his one of his fingers into a curl that was resting on her shoulder. Soft, smooth. Just like her.

"You sure about that?" he asked, as he moved his hand from her curls to slip behind her neck. He could feel her pulse racing against his hand.

Kim's heart skipped a beat, she was sure of it. "Last time I checked, no magic wand," she replied, doing her best to keep her voice steady and her breathing even.

"Hmm, must just be you," Callen replied, deciding not to follow his natural instincts and kiss her. He pulled his hand back and stepped away.

Kim missed him the moment he did. But he wasn't gone long.

Callen walked over to her nightstand, took the necklace out of the box and came back to her, the necklace held carefully in his hand.

"May I?" Callen asked.

"Sure," Kim agreed and turned around, carefully lifting her hair out of his way. She happened to turn toward the mirror and watched, unable to look away from the picture of the two of them as Callen moved close behind her. He slipped the necklace around her neck, clipping it up. As he did, his fingers brushed the back of her neck. Callen looked up and he caught her watching him and smiled. Kim was about to step away when he slipped his arms around her, one hand coming up to adjust the necklace so it fell properly. Her breath caught as his fingers brushed against her skin as he did.

Callen moved his lips closer to her ear. "Definitely beautiful," he whispered tenderly. _Just like the name I gave you. One day maybe it won't hurt you to hear me say it._

Kim stepped away, took a deep breath and then turned around to face him. _Beth remember._

"Aren't you ready yet?" she asked as she glanced at his still undone tie.

"Got distracted," Callen replied as he turned to the mirror and returned to the task she had taken his mind off.

Kim watched, tempted to offer to help. She used to sometimes. _Yeah and you remember where that tended to lead don't you? You were always better at undoing it than doing it up._

Kim blushed at her own thoughts and moved away to check her purse. She noticed the ear piece sitting on the top of the drawers and picked it up. She turned to Callen, a questioning look on her face.

"Yes or no?" Kim asked as she held it up to him.

Callen looked at it. "Not much point. It's gonna to be mostly useless."

For the brief time they would be in the cab on the way to and from the restaurant, it wouldn't be worth it. Hetty could just call and tell them what they needed to know during that time, if there was anything.

"Should we call Hetty and check?" Kim asked him. "You know her better than me. Will we get in trouble if don't?"

It didn't take Callen long to decide on the answer. He wasn't willing to risk getting on Hetty's bad side. "Safer if we do," Callen replied as he finished with his tie and pulled out his phone. He sat down to put his shoes on whilst he waited for Hetty to pick up. He didn't get a chance to complete the task before she answered.

"Aren't you supposed to be wining and dining your wife, Mr Callen?" Hetty asked.

Callen smiled. "Working on it Hetty. We're just about to leave. Ear pieces. Can we leave them out?" he asked.

"Yes. If necessary we will leave a message on your phone for you to retrieve once you leave the restaurant. Enjoy your night."

"We will. Good luck Hetty," Callen said. He hung up and looked at Kim. "Looks like we're free tonight."

Kim smiled, but it dropped too quickly, almost like she'd temporarily forgotten what tonight really was and just remembered. Callen stood up and went over to her.

"Hey," he said gently. "Trust Hetty." He put his hands gently on her shoulders and she moved in closer to him as he continued to reassure her. "She'll have them jumping to attention at the slightest noise from her."

Kim rested her head on his shoulder briefly as she said, "I know. I just hate this part. Sometimes I wish I wasn't..." She trailed off, not entirely sure what she wished the most. That she wasn't in this line of work, that she wasn't so emotionally involved in this case.

"Wasn't so good at being someone else?" Callen finished for her.

Kim took a calming breath and relaxed into him briefly, taking comfort in the familiar, reassuring feel of being in his arms. "I want to be there when they find her. I want to see that look of relief in her eyes when she knows she's safe," she said.

Callen cupped her face in his hands, made her look at him. "If we can, we will. For now, we need to do this, give them the opportunity to make their mistake."

When they made a move for this next kidnapping, they'd have them. Everything was in place. They just had to do their part and let the others take them down.

"Yeah," Kim agreed softly.

"Ready?" Callen asked.

"Have been for a while, but you, you sir," Kim grinned, as she pulled herself back to being Beth, "still do not have shoes on."

Reluctantly Callen let go of her and put his shoes on. He held out his arm to her and she slipped hers into his, reaching for her purse as they walked out the door. The final show, hopefully, had begun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

They walked through the doors of the restaurant, arm in arm, smiling. Stepping up to the reception desk, they waited to be attended to.

"Reservation?"

"Cartwright," Callen replied, slipping his arm around Kim's shoulders, dropping a soft kiss on her head.

"Yes. Your table is almost ready, Sir. If you would like to follow me, a waitress will seat you shortly," the maitre'd responded. They followed him to the bar area, leading them to a comfortable couch. "Can I order a drink for you?"

Callen looked down at Kim and smiled. He looked back to the maitre'd. "Beer and white wine spritzer, thanks."

Kim smiled and waited until they were alone. "You going for a repeat of our first date?"

"Depends," Callen smiled, pleased she had picked up on that. "Do I stand a chance?"

Kim smiled, mischief lurking in her eyes, and moved into him, slipping her hand inside his jacket. Callen raised his eyebrows and she grinned as she removed her hand and his phone.

"You might, if we don't get interrupted. Off please," she requested as she handed it back to him with a wink.

Callen complied, showed her and asked, "Happy?"

"Very," Kim replied as she closed the distance between them and kissed him. His arms slid around her and, just as her mouth opened beneath his, the waitress brought their drinks over, interrupting them. He groaned as Kim pulled back, narrowly avoiding dragging her back into his arms when her tongue darted over her lips.

"Your turn," Callen said, glancing at her purse as he took their drinks from the waitress.

Kim reached into and pulled out her phone and repeated his actions.

"Happy?" she asked him as the waitress stepped away.

"Very," Callen repeated as he handed Kim her drink. She settled back into his arms as they quietly sipped their drinks as they waited for their table.

"What part of that first date were you hoping for?" Kim asked softly, turning her head toward him. Callen looked down at her, at her lips that were so close to his own, and moved his head closer as he spoke.

"Something that didn't quite happen," Callen replied and his lips caught hers again. He'd missed out on doing this that night. They'd been interrupted...

"Sir, your table is ready."

De ja vu. Even down to the words.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Hetty, Nate, Sam and Eric were monitoring all proceedings from the Ops Centre that night. They had feeds from the hotel; watching for anyone entering Callen and Kim's room. Feeds from the house and street where the 'kidnapping' should be taking place. And from the restaurant. Nate was particularly interested in watching Callen and Kim. Hetty had noticed he had barely glanced at anything else so far tonight.

"How are they doing Mr Getz?" she asked as she stepped up beside him

"Doing?" Nate looked down at Hetty, slightly confused.

"Yes. Our happy couple. The two people you have been intently scrutinising whilst ignoring everything else," Hetty confirmed.

"They're doing..." Nate trailed off as he turned his attention back to the said couple.

"Is there a problem?" Hetty asked, concerned by Nate's obvious distraction with them.

"No, not exactly." Nate wasn't quite sure how to explain his concerns at what he had been witnessing.

Hetty wasn't in the mood for cryptic comments and, whilst she kept the harshness out of her tone, her order was very firm.

"Mr Getz, please. Speak."

Nate turned back to her. "Technically, they're doing brilliantly. There's not sign of them being nervous, uncomfortable or distracted by what they don't know. They are the perfect couple. The looks, the touches. All the little things and big things are in place. Whilst I don't know what they are saying, I'd take a guess that it's perfect too. You would honestly believe they'd been together for years if you didn't know better."

Hetty raised her eyebrows, not sure why Nate was concerned. This was exactly what they wanted. This is what Agents Callen and Donovan did and did extremely well. Become someone else. "And the problem is?" Hetty asked.

"They're too good Hetty. This isn't just an act," Nate replied. "If this was Callen and Kensi, they're be little things that would tell me who they were. It wouldn't be obvious to anyone who wasn't trained to see it, so they'd pull it off. But this, Callen and Kim, this is more," Nate repeated.

"Are you sure?"

Nate nodded, turning back to the screen to continue his observation as he continued. "Everything that I have seen with these two, suggests a past relationship, a bad one. Yet here they are pulling off the perfect couple with no sign that there has ever been anything wrong. I don't care how good they are, this isn't just an act."

"You are very perceptive Nate."

He turned back to Hetty, surprise on his face. "They were in a relationship?"

"Ye," Hetty nodded. "Whilst on assignment. You are correct in your assumption that it didn't end well."

Nate frowned. "Yet you let them work together again?"

"It was a long time ago and they both assured me they could keep this professional. That their past wouldn't interfere with the mission," Hetty assured him.

"Let's hope you are right Hetty."

Hetty tilted her head and frowned. "You doubt my judgment?"

"I ..." Nate struggled to find the right words to explain it. He settled for, "I don't get a good feeling about this."

"The mission or the relationship?" Hetty asked, concerning rising in her, as she trusted Nate's opinion.

"Honestly, I'm not entirely sure," Nate admitted reluctantly.

"Keep an eye on them then."

"I will."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Callen and Kim were seated at their table and, having placed their order, were quietly chatting. Hands reached across the table toward the other, fingers playing together. It was an intimate gesture designed to suggest the closeness that was supposed to be there between them.

"You know it's black tie, next month on the second, right?" Kim said to him.

"Black tie?" Callen asked, holding back the frown as he caught her gaze.

"Right," Kim nodded and smiled at him. _Stay with me on this G._

"And I'm going?" He raised his eyebrows.

Kim grinned back, "You don't want me to get dressed up and go out alone do you?"

_Not if you are looking like you are right now. _"Can't have that. Plus, it's black tie and tails on the tenth," Callen continued.

"Tails?" she smiled.

"Yeah, tails."

Kim looked him over suggestively as she replied. "Better make sure you book us a room."

"Why's that?" Callen asked curious.

"You, me, tails." Kim smiled, a seductive look in her eyes. "You know I can't resist. Vicki can visit your parents. Unless you're not interested." She tilted her head curiously.

"Of course I am," Callen assured her, his tone low and intimate.

"Good."

Callen stood up, moved around to her and held out his hand. "Dance til the food comes?" he asked.

"Tired of our conversation already?" Kim asked as she placed her hand in his and he pulled her up into his arms.

"No. You're too far away sitting in that chair." Callen kissed her gently, before leading her to the dance floor where he held her close, swaying to the slow piano music that was being played.

He tilted her head up and kissed her again, whispering, "Nice pick up," as he pulled back to have a better look at the two men who were watching them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Eric, report please," Hetty ordered. The mission wasn't quite going as she had expected. She needed an update.

"There is still nothing at the house. No sign of anyone checking the place out, let alone planning an abduction. Every vehicle that has driven past has a legitimate reason."

"What constitutes a legitimate reason?" Sam asked, turning from the surveillance feeds they were getting.

Eric looked over at him. "They live on the street."

"Miss Blye?"

Kensi was at the house, as their point of contact with the FBI agents.

"Everything is quiet, nothing out of place. Not even a gut feeling that something is going to happen," came Kensi's reply.

"Mr Hanna," Hetty said, turning to the ex-seal, "Your expert opinion?"

"This doesn't seem to fit the profile. It's been over two hours since they went into the restaurant now and not a thing," Sam said, concerned. "If something was going to take place whilst they were out of contact, someone would have to be watching by now, looking for signs that the kid was in bed."

"Mr Callen and Miss Donovan?" Hetty queried. She knew Sam had been keeping an eye on the two of them as well as Nate.

"Looks like there are a couple of guys watching them. They were in the bar and the restaurant and have just followed them up to the night club. There's no way that's a coincidence. Two individual men, alone, having the same movements as a couple. Doesn't make sense."

Hetty was inclined to agree. "Do you think they will have worked this out yet?" she asked.

"It's G. Even if Donovan hasn't, he will," Sam replied confident of his partner's ability to know when he was being tailed.

"How much longer do we wait?" Kensi asked.

"We can't make a move until they do. That would give away our hand," Hetty replied.

"So we keep watching and waiting," Sam added.

"Yes." Hetty agreed. "At least until Mr Callen and Miss Donovan return to the hotel."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

They walked into the nightclub and Kim narrowly avoided fleeing in the opposite direction. The music was loud, the lights flickering and bold, and there were so many people on the dance floor she really didn't think there would be room for any more.

Callen pulled her close and said in her ear, "Half an hour, then we go. Can you manage?"

"Is that a challenge?" she asked back, a flirtatious smile appearing on her face as he wrapped his arms around her.

"No. Remember, I saw what you did with your last challenge," Callen replied cheekily, remembering the picture of Sam flat on his back.

"Not interested in landing on your back?" as she started leading him through the small tables and patrons to the dance floor where, miraculously, they managed to fit in.

"Depends how closely you follow," Callen replied suggestively, once he had pulled her close. There wasn't really much choice on how close they danced, not that he had a problem with having her close. Neither of them said anything more for a while, just danced. At first fitting in with the crowd and the music. But everything else slowly disappeared to them, and it was just the two of them. Their dancing slowed to being a very slow and intimate dance, to music only they could hear. As Kim turned slightly, she noticed one of the men who had been watching them, was now dancing with a girl, right beside them. That didn't make her feel so good. She slipped one arm around Callen's neck, pulling closer and said, "You know I think this place is a bit crowded for what I have in mind." She ran a finger gently down his cheek, then neck and finally stopped at his tie, where she started to loosen it.

Callen looked at her carefully. He could tell something was up as she had just tensed up, her body movements turning forced rather than instinctive. Her eyes briefly darted in the direction of their watcher. Callen understood. He stopped their dance, raised his eyebrows suggestively and asked, "What is it you have in mind?"

"There's a perfectly good bed back at the hotel," she said as she placed a kiss just below his ear.

"And?"

She moved her head back and looked at him.

"How about we continue this dance back there?"

"What's going to be different?" he teased as he moved in and kissed her neck whilst she started moving them off the dance floor.

"The amount of clothes," she replied, her tone sexy and inviting, as she bumped into a couple behind her. She turned quickly, blushing as she apologised.

_Good, he should have heard that. _She had bumped them deliberately into the man watching them, hoping that whatever he was watching them for had been satisfied with their conversation.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Callen replied as he started to guide them off the dance floor, also adding an apologetic smile to the couple they'd bumped into.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"It's over. G and Kim are leaving. Nothing's going to happen now," Sam advised as he saw the two of them leaving the nightclub.

"What went wrong Eric? What did we miss?" Hetty asked, frowning.

"I don't know," Eric replied.

"Agent Fletcher," Hetty asked, looking up at the screen as Eric brought the video feed of the FBI Agent to front of all the others.

"No idea. We've matched them up, everything seemed to follow the previous cases."

"Do you think they could have been made?" Sam asked. He didn't think it was likely but it wouldn't hurt to get confirmation from someone else on that.

"I don't know." Neil frowned as he thought. "If they were, then it was probably from the very beginning. The surveillance of them has been pretty high, but it started that way, so I don't think that's the case,"

"How sure are you of that Agent Fletcher?" Hetty asked. She didn't like to think that her agents had been made, or were being played with.

"As sure as I can be. Kim has great instincts," Neil replied. "She's known before when she's been made, before we've even been able to pick it up from our end."

"How long have you worked with her?" Hetty asked.

"Fifteen years, Hetty. Known her since the very beginning."

That piece of information got Nate's full attention. "So you know what happened between her and Callen?" he asked.

"No," Neil frowned as he shook his head. "I know what the mission was. I don't know what else went down between them. I only know the effects, and have a hunch about what happened." Nate could see that Neil was concerned about Kim. He'd noticed it in the previous briefing yesterday but hadn't been able to put two and two together until just now. He was concerned about her being with Callen again.

"She never talked about it with you?" Nate asked.

"As far as I know she never talked about it," Neil admitted.

"What were the effects?" Hetty asked. She would have to concur with Neil's assessment regarding Kim not talking about it, given the way the two of them had been when they first met. She doubted Callen had either.

"The agent you see."

"That's a bad thing? She seems very good," Nate replied, confused by Neil's response.

"She is. She was before too. But..." Neil stopped. He seemed unsure if he should continue or not.

"But?" Sam prompted. He knew what had happened. From what he could tell, he actually knew more than Neil about what happened between the two of them outside of the mission, but Neil knew more about the girl.

After a moment, Neil answered.

"Kim was a warm, friendly easy going girl when she started. She was talented, no doubt about that. But she wasn't the distant, work orientated one you see now. Simon and I, we ... had to fight hard not to let her push us away too."

Hetty clapped her hands, pulling the attention from the conversation. Everyone looked at her.

"All right gentleman. Eric, send Mr Callen a text message telling them to go straight back to the hotel and continue their role. We'll call in the morning and fill them in. Miss Blye, join Mr Hanna at the hotel. Nate has a 'feeling'. I would like back up to be close, given that this hasn't panned out as planned. Agent Fletcher, may I suggest that your agents stay at the house for the night, just in case." Hetty's orders were agreed with, without question.

"Now," she continued, looking at those around her. "Let's take one more look over everything from tonight and see if we missed something, before we get some sleep."


	17. Chapter 17

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 17**

"My head hurts," Kim groaned as they walked through the door to their room. Callen closed the door and watch as Kim put her forehead against the wall.

It was cool so she stayed there, eyes closed. That half hour in the nightclub upstairs was too much. She was seriously going to have to consider putting nightclubs on her list of 'will not do' missions.

Callen walked over to the minibar, retrieved the block of chocolate he knew was there and came back to her. She hadn't moved.

"Turned around," Callen instructed. Kim did and frowned at him.

"Close your eyes," Callen added, smiling, keeping the chocolate out of sight behind his back.

"Why?" Kim asked, curious.

"Close them." Callen waited patiently for her to comply.

Reluctantly, with a roll of her eyes first, she did.

Kim felt him step closer. Her heart started to race a little then she heard the rustle of paper and she smelt a familiar scent. She smiled and relaxed back against the wall.

"Open."

Kim did this time, without question. Didn't even need him to clarify whether it was her eyes or her mouth. Callen held the piece of chocolate to her lips and she took from him. When she finally opened her eyes after she swallowed, he was right there. So close.

"Better?" Callen asked.

Kim couldn't speak, so she just nodded. Emotions that she had forced away came back. Callen's head moved closer and Kim's eyes dropped to his lips, just in time to watch his next words.

"My turn," Callen said softly, just before his lips claimed hers.

He kissed her, tasted the chocolate, tasted her.

Kim couldn't hold back the moan that made it's way from her throat, as need and desire washed over her, and she kissed him back. It was like it was fifteen years ago. She'd kissed him for the mission before but this wasn't the mission. There was no one here to witness, there was no reason for this to happen, it was just them. It made everything different, even the way she responded. She got lost, forgot everything. The pain in her head didn't register anymore, the worry about the mission, about Casey, how nothing had come from tonight. All gone. He was everything right now. This was all that existed, this thing between them, that had obviously never really died. At least on her side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Fifteen years ago._

"My head hurts," Kim groaned as they walked in the front door. She hated the nightclub part of this mission.

"Want to take something for it?" Callen asked. She shook her head.

"Ugh," Kim gave a shudder and shook her head. She hated taking pills. "No. Just need chocolate."

Callen raised his eyebrows and looked at her, "Chocolate?"

She turned around and gave him one of those little one-sided smiles that she had and usually used when she was teasing him. "Yeah. Don't you know chocolate increases your endorphins, which relieves pain."

Kim headed to the kitchen and opened the cupboard. She groaned.

"You had to put it up there didn't you," Kim complained as she turned to look at him with a tilt to her head and slightly exasperated look on her face.

Callen tried not to smile. She did look cute when she got like this. She was hard to resist, but he stayed where he was and just watched her.

"Didn't realise you couldn't reach."

Callen watched her turn back and look up. Then, she turned around, put her hands on the bench and lifted herself up to sit there. She reached, but still couldn't quite get there. He went over and stepped close, moving to stand between her legs.

"Let me." Callen reached up easily and pulled down the chocolate, but didn't move away.

"This isn't the only thing that increases your endorphins you know," he said as he broke some off and held it out to her, just in front of her mouth.

Kim took it and ate it slowly, as his gaze held hers. Callen's hands settling on her knees, thumbs tracing circles on the insides of her knees.

"Do you have something else in mind?" Kim asked when she was done.

Callen smiled slowly, slipped one of his hands gently behind her neck. Kim swallowed nervously, not terrified but excited, she was sure she knew what was coming. Callen closed the distance and kissed her. Kim's arms went round him quickly, holding him close. They'd been pushing the limits for a while, both enjoying the phsyical side of the mission but never crossing the line. Callen had a feeling that the line was going to get crossed soon though. Very soon.

Her mouth opened under his and he deepened the kiss. She tasted like the chocolate, but gradually her own unique taste came through and it was more potent than anything else. Kim pulled back and looked at him. He waited for her to say it. Say their code word to stop. Except she didn't, not exactly.

"If black is stop, white would be continue, right?" she asked him, as she ran a finger gently over his bottom lip.

Callen was curious about where she was going with this.

"Guess that would make sense," he replied.

Kim smiled and whispered, "White." She moved her head to capture his lips with hers as her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt and started working on them.

He pulled back.

"Bella?" he whispered. He wanted this but wanted to make sure she did too.

Kim bit her lip, nervous that she'd pushed too much. "Sorry."

Callen shook his head. "Did you mean it?"

Kim smiled again, her eyes lighting up at the obvious interest in his eyes and his question. "White," she repeated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Kim pulled back from the kiss. "Black," she whispered desperately.

They were both breathing heavily. It vaguely registered in her mind that he wasn't wearing his jacket or tie anymore and several buttons on his shirt were already undone.

_I don't even remember doing that … You really should pay more attention girl, otherwise you'll miss out on all the fun … It's not the fun that I want to miss out on, just everything else that comes after it._

Kim closed her eyes, trying to get her thoughts under control. _It's just a job for him, remember. Nothing personal. Just a job for you too ... No, it's never been just a job with him. What have I done? I haven't learnt a thing … You're in love with him. Did you really think you could do this without feeling something again? … If only he was with me, I'd give anything for it to be different … Your life? … He already has my heart, why not._

When she opened them, Callen saw the pain in her eyes and stepped away, an apology forming on his lips. When Kim started to move away from him, he saw the tears fall on her cheeks and the words vanished. Callen reached out to her, to pull her into his arms, to comfort her, but she shook off his hand and fled.

Callen heard the bathroom door close with a bang. He closed his eyes.

What had he done?

He'd forgotten, that's what. Forgotten that this wasn't fifteen years ago. Forgotten that she hated him. Who could blame her? He'd just walked away after the mission. Given that their 'relationship' had been going for six months by then, it was pretty much unforgivable. He wished he could explain, wished she would listen. But he doubted she would. Doubted she would even let him start to explain. Even if she did, he wasn't sure what he would tell her.

_Sorry I left but you were better off without me. _

_Sorry I didn't say goodbye, didn't think you'd care. _

Well that one was a lie. He knew she cared. Knew it was more than just a cover by then for her. For him too. Perhaps he should just go with the truth.

_It did get personal. I fell in love with you. You got hurt. I got scared. I ran. I'm sorry._

Kim might not be willing to listen but he had to try. Callen went and sat on the bed to wait for her to finish in the bathroom.

When Kim came out, Callen noticed her eyes were red, she'd obviously been crying, and she was avoiding looking directly at him.

Kim moved to her side of the bed and got in, turning her back to him.

Callen stood up and went around, kneeling down on the floor next to her, his face level with hers. He wouldn't leave it like this.

"Bella, I-"

"Please don't," Kim begged him, her voice low, barely more than a whisper. "I'm tired, my head hurts. Tonight did not go as planned. I'm not up for this G. Please," she continued to beg him. She couldn't do this right now, especially if they had to keep up this game. She thought she'd handled tonight well, until they got out and found out nothing had happened. Then that kiss. Every defense she had against him was gone. She was raw, hurting and had no idea how she was going to survive continuing this role, let alone when he walked away again.

Callen could hear the emotions and the pain in her voice. He wanted to push, to just tell her everything right here and right now. But he'd give her what she asked for. Tomorrow, he'd push, make sure she knew exactly what he felt, then and now.

"We need to talk," he said gently. "I'll give you tonight. But we need to. Soon." He wanted to reach out to her, touch her cheek, wipe away the tear that fell from her eye, but he didn't.

Kim didn't say anything, just closed her eyes, fought back the pain and tears. She didn't want to hear him say it. Didn't want to hear it again. Once was enough.

Callen went and got ready for bed, slipped in beside her. Wishing he had the right to pull her into his arms and comfort her.


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N - Okay, so this is just a short'ish one and I'll probably be in trouble for leaving it where I did, but I couldn't resist._

_Enjoy, if I'm lucky I might get another chapter out sometime today._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Chapter 18**

It was five thirty when Kim woke up. She found herself curled up next to him. Callen's arm had slipped around her sometime through the night. So much for going to sleep on the edge to keep away from him. She swallowed past the lump in her throat at how much she had missed this, wanted this to be real. He'd said they needed to talk and they did. But she had no idea what to say yet. She needed more time. Time to find those walls she'd built so long ago and get them back up. So that when she fell apart, no one would have to know. She slipped out of bed as carefully and quietly as she could, dressed for a run and grabbed her phone, her key and left.

As her feet pounded therapeutically on the pavement, she let her mind just go where ever it wanted. It went exactly where she thought it would.

Fifteen years ago. She'd been Bella, he'd been Greg. Together. At least that was what it was supposed to look like. Except it went further than that and for six months, they really were. The cover become real and it was so easy to be together. The hard part came when they had to actually do the mission.

She loved him. She still did. If she didn't, then it wouldn't hurt so much when she thought of leaving. She'd still be married. But after Russia, having pulled him out of that hell hole with Gibbs, she had to face the reality that she couldn't give Brendan what he deserved. They'd stayed friends and he was happy now. Married to someone who could give him that. With those adorable girls. That's why this job had been so important. She wanted to get these guys because every time she thought about one of the missing girls she couldn't help but think what if it was one of his. She couldn't sit back and let someone else do this. That's why she'd told Hetty she could do this. Why she'd begged Callen not to ask for another agent. Because she couldn't _not_ do this. Even if it meant putting herself in a position to be hurt again.

What she didn't know if she could do anymore, was hide from Callen what she really felt. Every day was getting harder to be Beth, not Bella. Ever since that mission with him had ended, she'd sealed herself off, made sure she never got involved on a mission again. She never had. She'd barely got involved with anyone since then.

Ice Queen. She knew they called her that. Knew they thought she didn't feel anything. If only they were right. The reason she didn't get involved; she felt too much. So she threw all of her emotions and feelings into the job, used it to fuel her work. Avoided personal attachments. Except, ever since she had crashed into him that first day, everything she had felt was back and she was having a hard time not letting it get personal again. She rolled her eyes at her own thoughts. Who was she kidding. It had been personal since that first touch. She felt the sparks, she felt her body respond when he had her against the wall, felt her heart break again, knowing he didn't care. That was why she wasn't ready to talk. Once they did, there was no going back. She may think that he didn't care right now, but at least there was a slight chance that she was wrong. When he said those words again, she didn't know what she would do.

Then again, maybe he did care. He kept calling her Bella. The look in his eyes sometimes. What if he did? How much of a difference would that make? _The world._

He was right. They needed to talk. She made a decision. It needed to be now. Really, how much worse could it be is she actually knew for sure rather than just thinking it anyway. The hotel was only a couple of blocks away. It wouldn't take her long. She just hoped she wouldn't change her mind between now and then. She increased her pace and, after only a few steps, crashed into someone as she did. Obviously, she been so lost in her thoughts she hadn't even been aware of those around her. Very un-agent like of her.

Kim reached out to steady herself and the person she'd crashed into. Her eyes went wide as she let out a gasp of pain when she felt a knife plunge into her stomach and her assailant put his arm around her to stop her falling. She looked up into the face of someone she hadn't seen in fifteen years, someone she believed was dead.

"Bella, how delightful to run into you."

"Marks?" she let out on a breath. She thought bullet was bad, this was worse.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked her.

"You're dead," she managed to get out. He had to be. They told her was. That Callen had...

He smiled and whispered in her ear, stopping her thoughts there. "Your team missed something. I had a twin brother."

His words sent a shudder of terror through her. He pushed the knife a little deeper and she whimpered in pain.

"Did you really think that I wouldn't remember the faces of the two agents who destroyed my little enterprise and 'killed' me?" he continued. "Did you really think I would let you destroy me again?"

Kim looked into those cold grey eyes of his. She knew she couldn't hide the shock on her face.

"You? You're the.." All the surveillance, it wasn't normal. It was because of them. His smile; slimy, creepy, downright evil stopped her.

"I had to start again because of you two. Now, I have a little encounter planned for Greg next. Or is it Joseph or Callen these days. You are Beth ... or Kimberly." He shook his head, one side of his mouth lifting in a smile that was more of a sneer. "No, Bella suits you so much better. And Greg, well. He'll be joining you in the morgue. Don't worry, you'll be together again soon," he assured her, confidence in his tone.

"No," she whispered, despair in hers.

"Goodbye Bella. You know, it really is a shame you two didn't have a child. She would have been beautiful and perfect for my needs."

Marks pushed her and she fell, collapsing hard against the pavement, holding her stomach tight where he pulled out the knife.

"G," she cried out softly.

Kim heard a car pull up, a door open and close and then the screech of wheels as it took off. She had to call him, needed to warn him. She hadn't put her ear piece in this morning. So stupid, she'd just wanted time alone. At least she had her phone. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion, she didn't know how long it really was before she heard someone rush up to her.

"You're going to be okay," a woman's voice reassured her. "I'm a nurse, I'll do what I can."

"Phone," Kim managed to get out.

"We've called 911," the nurse said as she was examining her.

"No. My phone. Pocket," Kim explained. _Please I need it now. Please._

She felt the pressure on her wound from this stranger. Her head was spinning.

"Please," she begged again.

"Here." Kim felt someone reach into her pocket and hand her the phone. Somehow she pressed the hot key for his. Everything was spinning.

"Bella?" he answered sleepily.

"Run G. It's Marks. He's- " She screamed in pain as the nurse increased the pressure to try and stop the bleeding.

"Bella, what happened?" she heard him say.

"Please run. I don't how long -"

The sound of a door being kicked open came through the phone, stopping the flow of words from her mouth.

"Ah. Greg. Is that Bella on the phone? Is she still alive?"

_No! He can't be there already. It hasn't been that long!_

"What did you do?" Callen sounded furious

"Revenge ... Now, now, Greg or do you go by Jo or Callen? You two have been putting on an interesting display for the cameras this week. It has been most enjoyable to watch. Almost believable. But knowing you as I do, I didn't believe it at all."

_Run G, please get out of there. I need you._

Things were getting darker for her, she struggled to stay conscious.

"What do you want Marks?" Callen asked.

"You ... Dead ... Along with Bella."

Kim heard gunfire and screamed his name, just as the sound of an ambulance siren registered in her mind. _No, too late, I wasn't quick enough. _She felt the darkness take over.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N - Whilst I like cliffhangers a little, don't like being made to wait too long for the answers either. So without further ado, let's find out what happened to Callen._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Chapter 19**

Callen had eventually fallen asleep. He'd waited until her breathing had settled, until he was sure she was asleep before he had let himself follow. Just in case she needed him. He woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He looked at the caller I.D. Bella. He hadn't been able to get used to calling her Beth unless they were out. He frowned slightly, glancing across at the other side of the bed. Shouldn't she be right next to him.

"Bella?" he answered sleepily, though his mind and body snapped awake at her first words and the terror in them.

"Run G. It's Marks. He's -" Kim screamed, one of pain and his heart stopped at the sound.

"Bella, what happened?" Callen asked as he quickly stood up and pulled on his pants and reached for his gun in what appeared to be one smooth motion.

"Please run. I don't how long -"

The sound of a door being kicked open pulled his attention away from the phone, which he dropped to the bed, as he aimed his gun. In walked Marks. Callen blinked rapidly to try and clear the picture in front of his eyes which wasn't possible. He was very tempted to pinch himself, but instead he aimed his gun at what he hoped was just his imagination or a very vivid dream, whilst trying to listen for more from Bella. Marks glanced at the phone on the bed.

"Ah. Greg. Is that Bella on the phone? Is she still alive?"

"What did you do?" Callen asked as he mind raced through everything he knew. _You're dead. I killed you. A bullet in your head, the rest of the clip in your body for what you did to her._

"Revenge ... Now, now, Greg or do you go by Jo or Callen? You two have been putting on an interesting display for the cameras this week."

_He's the one who's been watching? _

Callen tried to make sense of all this, but he couldn't, his mind kept going over the same thing again and again. _He's supposed to be dead. He's been watching us. Bella's hurt. I've got to find her. _ His mind snapped back to focus as Marks continued this little reunion speech he seemed to be relishing.

"It has been most enjoyable to watch. Almost believable. But knowing you as I do, I didn't believe it at all."

"What do you want Marks?" Callen spat out, trying not to look at the phone. His ears were tuned in, trying to listen for her, whilst he focused on Marks.

"You … Dead ... Along with Bella."

Callen heard gunfire in the hall and saw Marks move to take a shot. Before he could, Callen fired. He heard Kim scream his name, reached quickly for the phone whilst keeping his gun aimed at the now, very definitely, dead Marks. _You might want to get someone to double check that for you._

"Bella!" She didn't respond. Callen could hear things in the background through the phone, sirens and voices, but nothing from her. Sam and Kensi came through the door, stopped and looked between him and Marks. He hung up and pocketed his phone, grabbed a shirt and shoes and headed to the door.

"Where is she Sam?" he asked as he pulled his shirt on.

"She's just down the road. Ambulance is on it's way," Sam replied, giving Kensi a look that asked if she could handle this. She nodded.

"Kenz, do me a favour and make sure, very sure, he is dead," Callen added. Kensi nodded and moved carefully to Marks to confirm that he was indeed dead, as were the other two outside the door.

Callen stepped out the door and saw the other two bodies on the ground. It appeared Marks hadn't come alone. He briefly wondered if there were more out there after them. Fear gripped his heart and his pace increased, as the desperation to get to Bella tripled with that thought.

"What happened?" Callen asked Sam who was keeping pace with him. He'd gone to sleep, she was there, safe beside him. She might have been unhappy but she was safe. Why did she leave?

"Eric's been monitoring all your calls. When Kim called you, he sent us in. We were just upstairs," Sam replied, keeping up with Callen easily.

Callen dialled his phone as he took the stairs rather than wait for the elevator.

"Eric where is she?" he demanded.

"Ambulance has got her. On the way to the hospital, sending co-ordinates to Sam's GPS now, so you can follow the route," Eric replied quickly.

"What happened?" he asked, knowing Eric would have done more than monitor the 911 call.

"Looks like this guy Marks caught her by surprise when she was on a run. I've pulled surveillance footage from around where it happened. He had a knife Callen. He got her with it."

Callen hung up abruptly. He'd have to apologise to Eric for that later.

"Where's the car?"

"Right out front," Sam replied, as Callen pushed open the door from the stairwell and they stepped into the lobby. He broke into a run, Sam moving to lead, and ran out the front door, to the car which was parked on the street.

Sam didn't say anything until they were on their way, breaking any and all speed limits, part of him doing it for Callen, part for himself. He had grown kind of attached to the little girl who had put him on his back so easily. He wanted to make sure she was all right as well. That, and Callen would probably kick his arse if he didn't.

"G?" Sam asked concerned.

"She better be all right Sam," Callen replied. He couldn't lose her again. Once was enough for a lifetime.

"She will be," Sam tried to assure his partner. She needed to be okay. G needed her.

"She owes me a talk. I intend on collecting," Callen added quietly.

That wasn't quite the response Sam thought would come of out of G's mouth.

"Talk?" Sam asked, confused.

"Yeah. The talk."

_The one I should have had with her fifteen years ago._

"Oh."

They were silent for the rest of the drive as Callen stared out the window, barely seeing the vehicles, buildings or anything else as they sped by. He didn't know how long it took Sam to get them to the hospital but he knew it was as quick as Sam could make it. He was grateful Sam was driving because right now, he couldn't concentrate on anything else but her.

As Sam pulled up at the emergency entrance, he told Callen, "I'm gonna check on Kensi and see if they need me. If they don't, I'll be back. You be okay til then?"

Callen shook his head as he glanced at his partner. "I'll be fine, just find them Sam." Callen opened the door. "Now that Marks has been taken down, things will be crazy. It's time to find them, find Casey. Get this done. Make sure Neil knows this is connected to last time. He can pull the files on what we had on Marks before. It might help," he finished, then closed the door and hurried inside, narrowly avoiding colliding with a few people as he ran straight to the desk.

"There was a woman brought in just now. Stab wound."

"Name?" the receptionist asked him.

"Bel …" Callen shook his head slightly and started again. "Beth Cartwright."

"We don't have anyone by-" the receptionist start to say as she looked at her list.

"Look," Callen cut her off, trying to keep his tone civil. This wasn't her fault. "She would have just come in, I doubt she's awake to give you a name."  
"Are you family?" Relief washed over him that he had given the right name. He would be able to get answers now.

"Her husband."

The receptionist looked at him, sympathy on her face as she took in the fear she could probably see. "Just a moment," she said gently as she dialed a number and spoke softly. He didn't even really listen, his mind going over everything that had happened, everything that he wanted to say to her.

"Sir?"

Callen looked back to her. "Yes?"

"A doctor will be out shortly to tell you more, but she's already on her way into surgery," she informed him, her tone gentle and reassuring.

"Thank you." At least it was surgery and not the morgue.

Callen tried to sit and wait, but he couldn't. He paced. His mind going round and round in circles getting him nowhere. At least though, she was safe. She was in the hospital, there was security here. She just had to hang on. It felt like an eternity before a doctor came and called for him.

"Mr Cartwright?"

He spun around. "Yes?"

The doctor stepped over to him.

"Your wife is critical. She'd lost a lot of blood by the time she got here. The surgeons are trying to... fix the damage right now," Callen was sure the words 'save her' were what the doctor had been about to say, "She's already in the operating theatre, we're doing everything we can."

Although he felt relief at the knowledge she was already in surgery, it didn't really help him settle much.

"Is she.." Callen really couldn't say the words.

"She's alive for the moment," the doctor said, understanding his unspoken question of whether she would be all right. "We'll do everything we can to keep her that way."

Callen breathed again, closing his eyes for a moment, gathering some control over his emotions.

"Thank you. Where can I wait?" he asked once he opened them to see the doctor patiently waiting.

"I'll have a nurse show you to the appropriate waiting room."

No doubt with paper work to fill out too.

"How long? The surgery?" Callen asked. _How long til I know she is going to be fine?_

"I'm sorry," the doctor shook his head. "I don't know." The doctor turned and headed to the reception desk.

This time Callen did sit. He wasn't sure how long before his phone rang.

"Mr Callen, how is she?" came Hetty's voice when he answered.

"I don't know Hetty. In surgery, that's all I know," he replied, ignoring the rumble of his stomach that suggested he should find something to eat, as he sat back and put his head against the wall.

"Would you like Sam or myself to come down and wait with you?" Hetty offered.

Tempting as that was, to have someone else here with him, it wasn't what he wanted the most. "No I want you to find -"

"We will. Neil has already pulled the files as you suggested. We'll take care of this," Hetty assured him, her tone deadly serious. He smiled slightly. Hetty wasn't one to let an attempt on one of her agents go by without serious consequences, especially when she actually had leads. "But what about you?" Hetty continued.

"I don't matter. They do. She does," Callen said. Bella alive and the girl, Casey, safe. That's all he wanted right now.

"I'll disagree with you on that later," Hetty replied in a gentle reprimand. "Please, let me know when you hear something and when we can, one of us will come down and wait with you."

"Thanks Hetty."

Callen hung up just as the nurse came over and escorted him to the waiting room. She handed him some paper work and gave him a reassuring smile. He didn't return it.

Callen looked at the paper work, sighed then pulled out his phone and called Eric.

"I need details for her paper work Eric," Callen said.

As Eric gave him the answers, he filled in the blank spaces almost robotically, not really noticing any of the details. He could only hope that he was writing the correct information. He was working hard on ignoring the noises and voices he heard in the background around Eric. He didn't want to know what was going on there.

Right now, he needed to be here. This time when she woke up, he would be right there, beside her. Where he belonged.


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N - Seriously, when I started this, I didn't expect the story to end up as long as it is. At this rate, it is going to be my longest story to date! So many many thanks to the plot bunnies that TXJ released with the request for this story._

_Thanks again for the reviews, alerts and favouriting._

_Disclaimer in Chatper 1_

.

**Chapter 20 **

He'd been sitting in the waiting room for god knows how long. He'd paced, he'd sat, he'd stood, even tried to read some of the out of date magazines that were standard in waiting rooms. He'd watched the clock on the wall tick by the seconds, minutes, hours since he'd been brought here by the nurse. But with all that watching, he couldn't tell how long it had actually been. All he could remember was it was early morning when she'd called him, too early for her to be out of bed, gone from the safety of their room, their bed.

"Mr Cartwright?"

Callen looked up at the sound of his name, one of them anyway. "How is she?" he asked as he took in the doctor's tired expression, looking for any sign that would tell him whether the doctor was telling him the truth with his answer.

"Your wife is still critical, but we believe she'll be fine. She's in ICU."

Callen let out the breath he'd been holding since he'd asked his question.

"Can I see her?"

"Yes," the doctor nodded with a small smile. "She's going to be heavily sedated for at least the next twenty four hours, maybe longer depending on how she responds when she starts to come to. The internal damage was repairable. She was extremely lucky that no vital organs were damaged, but we don't want her moving around. If she starts bleeding again, in all honesty, she probably won't make it. She lost about 35% of her blood supply this time round."

That he knew, was a lot.

"We've giving her some blood to build her supply back up, but it's going to take time. She can't afford to lose it again."

"Please, I need to see her," Callen begged. _I need her to know I'm here this time._

The doctor nodded, and understood that he also needed to see for himself that she was still alive.

"This way." The doctor turned and Callen fell into step beside him. They entered her room, the doctor waiting at the door as Callen moved to the side of her bed and looked down at her. She was so pale.

He felt the anger in him rage at what Marks had done. Again. The last time he had looked at her like this had been because of the same man. How had Marks even survived? He'd killed him. He'd been the one to do it. Callen reached for her hand that wasn't attached to the IV, brought it to his lips and kissed it softly. He leaned down carefully to her ear.

"I'm here. I promise I'll find her. Then I promise you and I will talk. Don't leave me Bella. I need you." He kissed her gently on the forehead before standing up and moving back to the doctor.

"Is there any chance she'll wake up, even being sedated?" he asked.

The doctor shook his head. "No, we'll be making sure she doesn't."

Callen nodded. "There is something I need to do for her. I'll get someone to stay with her before I go, but you call me if there is any change."

"Of course," the doctor agreed, and left the room.

Callen glanced back at her sleeping form once more before he stepped out of the room and called Hetty.

"Yes Mr Callen?" Hetty's voice was full of concern. He smiled slightly, knowing that tone. It was the one Hetty used when she was concerned for one of her own. She obviously considered Kim one of those now.

"She's out of surgery, heavily sedated. They think she's going to be okay," Callen said first. "I need someone down here to make sure she's safe."

"What do you plan on doing?" Hetty asked him. A smile twitched at his lips at Hetty's perception. Hetty knew him well. Knew that he wouldn't be able to let things go. But at the same time, he was torn because he didn't want to leave her side. But she wanted this. She wanted to be there when they found Casey. He'd promised her they would if it were possible. She might not be able to, but he could.

"Help finish what she started. Find Casey. I want to be there when you get her," Callen said. His tone making it clear to Hetty that this wasn't negotiable. It didn't stop her checking that he was sure.

"Are you sure? We are capable of doing that you know."

Callen relaxed slightly, knowing Hetty wouldn't stop him doing this, even though she had asked the question.

"I know," Callen assured her, "I'm doing this for her."

"May I suggest that you stay with her until we have something concrete to go on. You have my word that the moment we do, Sam will be on his way to get you."

Neil and Simon would be doing everything to find Casey, he knew that. He'd be spurred on by what happened to Kim, just as he had last time. He didn't need to be there.

"All right," Callen agreed, knowing that between Hetty, Sam and Neil, the investigation and mission was in good hands. "But can you send someone now? Just to help keep her safe. Until we know for sure Marks doesn't have someone out there still looking for us."

"I'll have someone there shortly," Hetty assured him.

"Thanks Hetty," Callen replied. He returned to Kim's room, went and sat down next to her. Callen made sure he was facing the door, gun in his hand ready, just in case. He wouldn't let anyone get her, not again. He couldn't believe the coincidence that they had managed to end up going after Marks again. Couldn't believe that she was lying her in the hospital again. He desperately wished it was a nightmare, one he could wake up from in the morning and forget within seconds. But it wasn't. It was real.

It was about half an hour later when there was a knock on the door and Callen raised his eyes from her and his gun, as the door slowly opened.

"Just me G. Calvary's here," came Sam's voice before his face peered tentatively around the door.

Callen lowered his gun, relieved at the sight of his partner walking through the door once Sam saw him relax his guard.

"Aren't you supposed to be helping?" Callen asked, his tone giving away just how much he appreciated his partner coming down. He needed a little contact with the outside world.

"I am. Making sure you don't shoot the security we've brought," Sam added.

"Sorry," Callen added as he rubbed his face with his hand. He looked at his watch and realised he hadn't eaten yet and it was already well into the afternoon. Sam must have already thought about this as he walked over and handed Callen a brown paper bag and a cup of coffee.

"Figured you wouldn't have had time to go get food, or think about it."

Sam smiled slightly at his partner and then looked to Kim lying on the bed. He glanced back to Callen.

"She doing okay?" Sam asked.

"She's still alive," was about all Callen could assure Sam of at the moment.

"You doing okay G?" Sam knew the last time Callen had seen Kim like this he'd run. He hoped there wouldn't be a repeat. Callen understood what the question really was. Could he handle this?

"I'm not going anywhere Sam," he assured Sam. "At least, not unless it's time to get Casey. Then I'm coming right back."

"You love her," Sam concluded accurately.

Callen opened the bag to find a sandwich and a donut as he replied, "Like you hadn't already figured that out." He tried not to but he couldn't help it. He smiled at Sam's tone and statement. There hadn't been much to smile about so far today.

Sam grinned. "Be good to hear you admit it."

Callen glanced up and rolled his eyes. "Yes Sam, I love her."

"Good. I'll be off. Bad guys to get. Don't kill the two outside. They're the good ones," Sam advised him.

"I won't," Callen agreed. "Thanks Sam." It was for more than the food. Sam had his back on everything. He knew he'd have Kim's too.

"It's what I do," Sam replied as he took one last look at his partner and Kim before he left.

~~~~~~~o

Somewhere around early evening, Callen had fallen asleep, his head resting on the bed next to her hand, his fingers entwined with hers. The security outside had allowed him to relax a little and he'd put his gun away. He lifted his head, opened his eyes and blinked to clear his vision, at the sound of the door closing.

"Gibbs? … Fornell?" Callen frowned, confused as he identified the two men who had joined him in the room. "What are you doing here?" He sat up and stretched his neck. That wasn't exactly the best position to sleep in.

"I'm here to see my niece. Stay out of my way Callen. Not particularly impressed with you at the moment." Fornell walked over to the bedside as he spoke, his tone adding weight to his words.

"Callen." Gibbs tilted his head, asking him to join him.

He glanced down at Kim and let go of her hand, moved over to Gibbs who was standing near the door. He turned so he could still see her.

"What are you here for Jethro?" Callen asked, as he gave himself mental shake to wake up.

"You ... and her." Gibbs glanced across to Kim. As he did, Callen saw the soft look that appeared on Gibbs' face.

Callen frowned, put two and two together and came up with five. "She was one of your -"

Gibbs cut him off with a smack to the back of the head and a glare.

"Don't be stupid Callen."

"Well, you and red hair," Callen added as he absently rubbed the back of his head. It had been a while since he'd been on the receiving end of one of those. Well, at least he was awake now.

"G, you were in love with her. Do you really think I would make a move on her knowing that?" Gibbs asked. "No matter how cute she is."

"I don't understand." Callen had no idea why Gibbs was here. Fornell made sense at least.

"You told me about her one night, remember?" Guess that made two people he'd told. Gibbs continued, "Not her name exactly. You called her Bella, said she was Fornell's niece. Told me she had red hair and your heart."

That sounded about right. He just hadn't known he had told Gibbs.

"There is something you need to know something about Kim," Gibbs said, gaining his attention.

Callen frowned, wondering why Gibbs sounded so serious. "What?"

"She was there. Ten years ago."

Callen was silent as the words sunk in. He shook his head and frowned. No, Gibbs couldn't be saying what he thought.

"She was there Callen," Gibbs repeated.

He _was_ serious. "Why would she be there?" Callen asked him, a mix of disbelief and horror in his voice.

"You needed help, she was willing," Gibbs replied.

Callen's gaze narrowed at Gibbs. "You pulled her into that hell? You shouldn't have asked her. She could have been hurt."

"He didn't. I did," Fornell answered before Gibbs could respond, as he walked over to join them.

Callen turned to him. "_You_ shouldn't have asked her." He couldn't believe either of them had actually done that. Not when they knew what had happened and he was sure Fornell knew more than Gibbs.

"Callen, there wasn't much time," Gibbs explained. "She had the skills, she was available and she said yes. It's not like you had a lot of people out there willing to risk their careers and lives for you. You tended to leave agencies on a bad note."

Gibbs did have a point.

"Surprised the hell out of me when she said yes. Thought she'd tell me you could rot in hell for all she cared," added Fornell.

Callen frowned as he thought back. "I don't remember her being there."

"She was right beside you."

Callen remembered two of them finding him in the cell. But all he could remember was that and Gibbs' voice. Gibbs continued, "She was the one who got you out of the restraints. She was the one on the other side of you to me."

The one he'd lent on as she'd helped him stand up. Gibbs must have been the one continuing to guard the door. She was shorter and he'd found himself relying on her more than Gibbs to keep him moving.

"Why didn't she say anything?" _But she did, remember?_ He remembered hearing someone whisper his name. He'd shut down the thought that it had been her, he figured he'd just imagined it, in his desperation to find something good in that hell. That had been before he'd even realised they were there.

"Why would she?" Fornell asked as if the answer should have been obvious. "You didn't want her."

Callen turned to him, shook his head. "I didn't want to get her hurt anymore," he clarified.

"Yeah well, that didn't work out did it. Some birthday present you gave her," accused Fornell with a glance over at Kim.

"Birthday?" Callen repeated, confused again. There was a lot of that going on with him today. _Are you sure this isn't a really bad dream?_

"Yesterday was her birthday Callen, but you probably didn't know that," Fornell added.

_Birthday? Yesterday? _Comprehension washed over him. _That's what she meant. "Oh, that." You idiot, how could you not have remembered?_

"Did you ever care about her Callen?"

Callen made a threatening move toward Fornell, but stopped at Gibbs voice.

"Enough," Gibbs demanded of both them. "Look Callen, she cares. She always has. She stayed in the hospital until they told us you were going to be okay."

"She stayed?" Why would she stay after what he did? Why did she even come for him?

"Yeah. A few days," Gibbs confirmed with a nod.

"Then she went home and six months later was divorced. Shame, Brendan's a great guy." Fornell gave him a look that suggested he wasn't.

"That had nothing to do with me," Callen denied with a shake of his head.

"It had everything to do with you Callen," Fornell corrected him firmly. "If she can't give something everything then she doesn't do it. It's what makes her a great agent. She gives it everything she has, every single time. She couldn't give Brendan everything because she was still in love with you."

"She wasn't," Callen denied. She couldn't have been. He hurt too much for that. Hadn't he?

"Yes she was Callen. You didn't see her when she woke to find you gone. That kind of pain only comes when you love someone deeply."

Callen could hear the pain behind Fornell's words; realised he had actually been there. This wasn't second hand information that had been give to him from a nurse. He was the one who was there when she woke up.

"What happened?" Callen asked softly, not sure if Fornell would oblige. He did.

"She cried, she screamed, she fought and we had to sedate her, or she would ripped her stitches. She probably would have died if that happened. She was different after that. Took her six months to get back in the field properly. She earned a nickname because she wouldn't let anyone in."

"Ice Queen," Callen let out on a breath. So it had been because of him.

"Yeah," Fornell agreed. "And you and I know the real Kim is anything but that."

Callen leaned back against the wall. Fornell continued.

"When Brendan stuck around after ... "

"I know about it." Callen didn't want to hear about the man who had been there for her but Fornell continued, twisting the knife just a little bit more.

"When he stuck around, there was hope. She started to be herself again. He helped her so much. Then after Russia and the divorce, she went back to the way she'd been. She stayed warm to her family at least."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Ten years ago was when he needed to know this; when he could have gone to find her, make it right back then. _Would you? Would you really have gone back for her?... If I'd known she still cared, yes._

"Because we are. She didn't want us to. We've given her that for ten years. Now it's time for you to know. Time for you to fix this thing between the two of you," Gibbs advised him.

They were interrupted when Callen's phone rang.

"Hetty what's up?" he answered quickly.

"We believe we've found the girl. Sam will meet you downstairs in five minutes. If you still want to go," came Hetty's reply.

"Yeah. Thanks Hetty. I'll still want to." Callen hung up and looked at the two men staring at him. "I have to go."

"What?" Fornell barely stopping himself from yelling. "You're leaving her again?"

"No." Callen turned to Fornell, attempting to keep his voice calm. "I'm doing something for her. I'm going to get Casey. She can't, but I can. I can do this for her."

"Oh." Fornell obviously knew how important this case was to Kim. His fury diminishing quickly at Callen's explanation.

"Will you stay here with her?" Callen asked as he glanced over to the bed.

Fornell nodded. "You'd better hope you're back before she wakes up."

"The doctors have her sedated. She shouldn't be waking up for another," he glanced briefly at his watch, trying to remember when he'd spoken to the doctor, "twelve hours, at least." Surely it wouldn't take them that long to do this.

"We'll stay," Gibbs answered.

"Thanks." Callen moved over to the bed, placed a gentle kiss on her lips and told her, "I'm going to get Casey. I'll be back as soon as she's safe."

Callen walked to the door, looked back and desperately hoped the doctor was right. That she wouldn't wake up until he got back. He didn't want her to think that he had left again.


	21. Chapter 21

_A/N - Well it's official, this story has become my longest one yet. At least in the word count on my computer. And I still haven't finished adding the flourish and details to at least 3 or the remaining chapters._

_Anyway, here is another one to enjoy._

_Reviews, etc are all support and all appreciated immensely._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 21**

Sam drove them to the rendezvous point and they got out of the car, moving to join the group of FBI agents that were surrounding the van.

"Who's in charge here?" Callen asked as he looked around, trying to tell the boss from the others. They were all suited up ready to in.

"I am," came a voice from behind him.

Callen turned around and a fist landed squarely in his stomach, momentarily taking his breath away.

"That is for what you did to the Kid," a voice, familiar from a long time ago, came from above him as he was doubled over.

"Who the hell-"

Callen straightened up quickly, putting a restraining hand on Sam to stop him from retaliating. He looked into the FBI agent's face as he spoke.

"It's okay Sam."

The FBI agent in charge was still focused on Callen. "She was never the same after you. The Kid never came back." There was pain and loss behind his words that Callen could hear clearly.

"I'm sorry," Callen replied, his apology genuine. He could only hope the agent in front of him could understand that.

Sam cleared his throat, frustrated at being out of the loop. Callen glanced at Sam and then back to the FBI Agent.

"Simon Bracken, this is Special Agent Sam Hanna."

Simon nodded at Sam and turned back to Callen.

"How is she?" he asked, concern clearly evident in his voice.

"She should be fine. She's sedated, but doing okay," Callen reassured him.

"She's the only reason I'm working with you right now," Simon informed him.

Callen didn't doubt it, especially after Neil's response to him a couple of days ago. He knew they had cared back then. It appeared nothing had changed and they were still ready to defend her. Do anything for her, even if it meant working with him.

"I'm sure she is," Callen agreed.

"G?" Sam queried. "Gonna fill me in?"

Simon turned to Sam.

"Sorry. Kim is one of my team. Has been since she started with the FBI. Nothing personal with you, okay. That was just between me and Callen."

Sam nodded as the situation finally became clear. Adding Simon and Neil's information and connection to Kim together, Sam figured that if Simon cared about Kim as much as he suspected, in all honesty, G had just gotten off lightly.

"Let's do this," Simon added, as he started to move closer to the van. "We'll be ready to go in two minutes. Grab a vest. Much as I don't care, I'm sure Kim will kill me if you get yourself killed. And I'm not getting on her bad side for you."

Sam chuckled.

Simon looked back at him curiously.

"Sam didn't think she could take him. He challenged her." Callen didn't need to go any further.

Simon chuckled as Callen and Sam donned their vests. "Let me guess, flat on your back?"

"You been there before?" Sam asked.

Simon shook his head. "Haven't been stupid enough to challenge her since I found out she was training with Brendan."

"He didn't know about that at the time," Callen added with a grin.

Simon smiled, almost like a proud father. "That's my Kim. Always something up her sleeve you don't know about." Simon looked at his men, his expression turning serious. More serious than was necessary. This was more than just about getting Casey back for him. Callen could see that. This was about getting justice for Kim, twice now Marks had got her. This was going to end. Maybe not here and now, but Simon would see it through, working with whoever he needed to, to make it so.

"All right, time to move it," Simon ordered. "Let's get this girl home safe." He glanced at Callen and Sam, "You two stay with me. They tell me you are good. Show me."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"It's all clear. Where is she?" Simon sounded frustrated. They'd been through the entire house, taken down the six men in there. No sign of the girl. Unfortunately the six men had all been willing to die to protect their, now dead, boss's secret.

"Maybe your intel was wrong," Callen suggested, feeling just as frustrated as Simon sounded. Simon glared at him.

"G!" called Sam. They both turned and moved quickly to Sam, who pointed down to the carpet. An indent from furniture which had been recently moved showed on the carpet. "There," Sam added after surveying the furniture quickly and pointed to a bookcase a bit further down the wall.

Callen, Sam and Simon quickly pushed the books off and pulled the bookcase away from the wall. Sure enough, there was a door.

Callen opened it and saw a dull light coming from the bottom of the stairs. They moved down slowly and came around the corner and looked around what they could see of the basement. The three of them stopped in shock. Cowering in the corner, huddled together were four young girls. Very slowly Callen moved closer, trying not to frighten them. Simon quietly ordered for some female agents to come down and Sam checked the rest of the basement, making sure it was clear.

Callen looked over the girls and spotted the one he recognised.

"Casey?" he called gently. He saw her eyes widen and she froze. "It's okay. We're here to take you home. We've been looking for you." She still didn't move. He couldn't blame her after what she had been through.

"I'm Callen." He pulled his badge out and showed her, not really knowing is she would understand. "You're safe." He stopped about five feet from the girls, not wanting to scare them anymore. "We'll get you all home soon. Any of you hurt?" he asked. The girls shook their heads and relief washed over him. He heard footsteps behind him and the girls looked away in that direction. He turned and saw the female agents Simon had requested and stepped back.

"Wait," he heard one of the girls call tentatively to him. He looked up and Casey was watching him. "You were looking for me?" she asked.

Callen nodded, "A lot of us have been looking for you." Casey stood up and walked over to him, cautiously. She was two steps away from him when she suddenly sped up, threw her arms around him and sobbed. He held onto her as the other girls were comforted by the other agents. When she had calmed down, he guided her up the stairs and into the car. They were taking them all to the hospital to be checked over.

Callen was about to get in with Casey when Simon came over to him. He stopped and turned to the FBI Agent.

"Good job, you and your partner," Simon said, "spotting that bookcase."

"Thanks. You too," Callen replied. "For what's it's worth," he added, "I left to protect her. She got hurt because of me."

Simon nodded his agreement. "You're right. She did get hurt because of you. But not the way you're thinking." Callen frowned. Simon continued, "She took a bullet because of the mission. She got hurt because you left … She got over the bullet."

Simon stopped there, the silence telling Callen that he didn't believe she got over him.

"The Kid never came back from that mission, Callen," Simon added sadly. "She was different. Colder, harder, distant, even with us. She wasn't tough when she went on it with you. She was by the time she came back."

"I'm sorry," Callen said, knowing it was nowhere near enough to make up for what had happened.

"Tell her that, not me," Simon replied. "Oh, and stay away from Neil. If you thought my hit was bad, his will be worse," he advised.

"I wouldn't have expected you both to still be working with her." Callen had been curious about Neil still being around. Even more so now he knew they both were.

"We are," came Simon's simple statement.

"Why?"

"Because we are," Simon repeated.

Callen frowned. "Just figured someone would have moved on by now," he added.

Simon looked at him for a moment before he added, "Some people are worth sticking around for."

Simon turned and walked away.

When Callen finally walked back into Kim's room, it was about two am. Hetty had cleared it with the hospital that visiting hours didn't matter for Kim. He didn't ask how, didn't care, was just extremely grateful because, now that Casey had been found, he wasn't going to leave.

He walked over to her bedside and looked down at her. She was so pale and still, just like their last mission. But unlike last time, he had no thoughts of running. Fornell looked up at him.

"Did you get her?" Fornell asked tiredly.

"Yeah." Callen nodded. He could hear the tiredness in his own voice as he spoke. "Not just Casey. There were three other girls as well," Callen added. Three others that they hadn't even known were a part of it.

Fornell's eyes closed briefly and Callen wondered if he was remembering when Kim had been taken.

"Thank god," Fornell said softly.

"Where's Gibbs?" Callen asked, it finally sinking in that Fornell was the only one in the room.

"Gone to find some decent coffee. Think I'll go see what's keeping him," Fornell replied as he stood up and walked past him.

"Thanks for staying with her." Callen added. Fornell stopped and turned to face him.

"She's family Callen. Of course I'll be here for her." Fornell glanced over to Kim then back to Callen as he added, "When are you going to realise she's your family too?"

"I have, believe me I have," he admitted. She'd been everything he'd ever wanted in a family and he'd walked away. "I just don't know if she wants me anymore," he admitted. He couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice. He didn't care. Now wasn't the time to hide behind some tough cop image.

Fornell's tone softened as he said, "She always has. Doubt that's changed. Don't leave it too long to tell her."

"I won't," Callen replied as he turned and looked at her.

Fornell walked out and closed the door quietly. Callen went and sat down next to Kim. He took her hand, kissed it and moved closer to whisper in her ear.

"I'm back. We found her, Bella. We found Casey and she's back with her parents. They didn't hurt her."

He looked at her face, hoping to see something, any sign that she knew he was here. That she had heard him. But there was nothing. _Remember, she's heavily sedated. It doesn't mean anything that there's no reaction._ For once he was appreciative of Nate's reassurance in his head.

Callen took a deep breath, then continued with filling her in on the mission.

"We also found three other girls. Simon's working on getting them back to their families. DEA are searching through everything, trying to get more information about the others. They took down Marks' group. No one knew what to do once he was dead. And he is dead this time Bella. I promise you, this time it is over. We got the Navy personnel involved as well."

Callen closed his eyes trying to hold back the tears, but it didn't help. "We did it Bella. We stopped this," he said, his voice breaking.

"Now you need to wake up so we can talk."


	22. Chapter 22

_A/N - Sorry to say but they're not going to be talking this chapter._

_Thanks again for the support. And thank you to my little plot bunnies who have managed to sort out the next chapter only yesterday. I was starting to wonder if they weren't interest in helping._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 22**

Sometime early in the morning, just as the sun was starting to brighten the sky outside, Callen's head dropped onto the bed as he drifted off to sleep, his hand holding hers close to his cheek. And he dreamt. Dreamt about the two of them from a long time ago.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"We should probably talk," he said, as he ran his fingers over her bare back.

"About?" she asked softly, her head resting on his chest, her soft hair falling over him.

"What just happened?"

She looked up at him, a mischievous smile gracing her features, "You don't know?"

He tried not to smile. This was supposed to be a serious conversation. "We crossed the line Bella."

"Whose line?" she asked as she continued to look at him. "Yours, mine or someone else's?"

He frowned. She didn't seem concerned. Before he had a chance to say anything, she continued.

"G, we're stuck in this life for anywhere up to a year, maybe even longer. It's not like we can just go out and find someone else to do this with. That would well and truly compromise the mission."

She did have a point. He could feel the explanation of why they couldn't do this again, die on his lips. He had to admit, it hadn't really taken much.

"So we do it together?" he asked, his mind telling him not to be a fool, to not let this get personal. The rest of him wasn't really listening. Being with her felt so right.

"Why not? I like you, which should be more than obvious by now." She frowned. "You do like me right?"

He saw the flicker of doubt on her face and reassured her quickly, "Yes."

She smiled again, and then the saner part of his mind temporarily won control, "But Bella-"

She cut him off.

"I know, it's not personal, it's just a job." He knew he'd said that to her often. As undercover agents they needed to understand that, but right now, he didn't like hearing it. She continued. "Is there any reason why we can't enjoy the perks of the cover?" She had started to run her fingers over his chest, placing the occassional kiss as well, between words. "I mean," he felt the smile that formed on her lips against his chest, "I know I'm not exactly experienced with this, but you certainly seemed to enjoy what I was doing."

Even though everything inside him screamed that this was getting too personal, he found himself giving up and agreeing. Not caring anymore about crossing the line. She was worth it. He rolled her over and smiled down at her. "For not experienced, you were exceptionally good."

She smiled at him, not a mischievous one, but one full of want and desire. He found himself filled with the same kind of feelings as she replied softly, "Just imagine then what I can do with a little practice."

"A lot of practice," he whispered, just before he kissed her again.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She was nestled in his arms, still asleep. Carefully, so he didn't move enough to disturb her, he reached into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out the small present he had for her hidden there. Then, he ran his fingers up her arms gently, to get her to wake up. She snuggled closer. He smiled. She was fun to wake up, because she never wanted to. He sometimes wondered what she was dreaming about that made her want to stay asleep. Perhaps he needed to give her a decent reason to wake up. He ran his fingers down her arms again and she turned her head toward him. He caught her lips with his and kissed her. His curiosity rising dramatically as to what she was dreaming about, as she responded instantly. When he pulled back she opened her eyes and looked at him, a slight blush coming across her face.

"Nice dream?" he asked.

"Nice wake up," she admitted as she smiled at him. He kept watching her as he reached behind him for the present.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly as he gave it to her.

"But it's not-" she started to say.

"It's one of them," he said. Her real birthday.

"I-" she looked confused.

"Open it," he prompted her. He was nervous. He didn't know if she would like it or not.

She smiled and sat up, pulling the sheet around her, which slightly disappointed him. She tore the paper off and opened the box. She let out a soft gasp and looked back to him.

"G, it's beautiful." Her voice barely more than a whisper, as she gently took the bracelet out of the box and examined it closely.

"Just like you," he replied as he helped her put the delicate silver chain, with tiny silver flowers on it, around her wrist.

She looked at him, like she didn't know what to say. That was first for her. She lent over and kissed him gently.

"Thank you," she whispered, before she kissed him again, pushing him back against the pillows and the special breakfast he had planned, slipped his mind.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

He watched Bella giggle next to him at something Marks had said. He took a drink from his bottle of beer, to save him from saying something that wouldn't be appropriate; for the mission at least. Marks slipped his arm around her shoulder, his hand precariously close to groping her and his stomach knotted at the thought of Marks actually touching her. When Marks placed his other hand on her leg, just below the hemline of her short dress, he felt like he was about to break the bottle in his hand. He tried to focus on the fact that this was exactly what they had been hoping for.

Bella giggled again and then Marks moved his hand up, slipping it slightly under her dress. That was all he could take and before he knew it, he'd pulled Marks off her and landed a swift punch to his face, sending him flying back crashing into the floor. Marks didn't move, he must have punched a little harder than he thought and knocked him out, though his bodyguards did move. He had three guns trained on him, before Marks had even finished sliding on the floor. Bella was in front of him quickly.

"It's okay," she said to the bodyguards before she turned around and glared at him.

She turned back, "We're going. We don't want any trouble." She pushed him toward the door whilst she was still facing the bodyguards. Outside they got in a cab, she gave the driver the address and neither of them spoke during the ride.

As soon as she got inside the house she turned to him.

"Why did you let it get personal back there?" she asked him sounding frustrated. Jealousy surged again. She didn't seem at all concerned by the fact that Marks had his slimy hands all over her. Well, fine. He could do that too.

"Personal? It's a job Bella. That's all this is," he spat out at her.

She stepped back from him, her face swiftly turning pale and white.

"Just a … not personal," she whispered. She turned and reached for the door.

"Bella," He knew he'd made a mistake, a huge one.

She turned her head, her blue eyes were blazing with anger and pain, filled with tears. "Go to hell, Callen," she choked out, as she pulled the door open and ran out. He closed his eyes briefly, then grabbed his keys and phone and followed quickly. But he couldn't find her. Fear made his stomach knot. She couldn't have run that fast. He pulled out his phone and called her. The phone rang out. He wondered if she'd actually taken it with her. It was in her handbag from tonight, so as he kept trying as he went back inside, the fear growing more with every step and heard her phone ringing.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Get Bella out of here," he yelled back to Simon, though didn't take his eyes off Marks. He saw one of the bodyguards change direction with his gun and fire before he had a chance to stop him.

"G!" Bella screamed from behind him. He took the shots and took down the bodyguards as Marks turned and ran out the door. He turned his head and looked at Bella, saw her clutching her stomach, blood coming through her fingers. He froze. She looked at him, those blue eyes of hers held so much fear. He finally got his reactions under control and moved to the door. He glanced back briefly when he got there, she was still looking at him. 'G,' he saw her say, though her voice wasn't strong enough to reach him. Simon and Neil where there with her now. He knew they'd take care of her. He saw the pain in her face, saw how pale she was and the anger flared in him and he took off after Marks, with the sound of her scream following him.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

He quietly opened the door and went into the hospital room. Where he found the courage to do it, he wasn't really sure. As he walked slowly over to her bed, he looked at the pale, still body lying there, listened to the hum and the beeps coming from the machines around her.

She could have died, and it was because of him. He'd failed. He'd failed the mission. He'd failed her. Sure, he'd killed Marks. But that hadn't been the mission. Taking down the whole organisation had been the plan, not just cutting off one of it's heads and closing down a small local operation.

Her. He'd let her down so badly. Letting his personal feelings get in the way. It had set off warning bells in Marks and their cover blown. Then, he'd obviously been too good when he'd told her it wasn't personal. She'd paled at his words and he'd watched as she looked like she was dying inside. He wasn't quick enough to pull her back. To tell her he was sorry, that he hadn't meant it. He was sure she hated him now. Even if he'd been lucky enough to have her love him, he didn't think she would after that.

He gently cradled her hand. It just sat limply in his. She always used to curl her fingers around his. He put it down carefully. Took one last look at the girl he loved, turned and walked away out the door and out of her life.

She was in here, almost dead, because of him. He'd never put her through that again. He'd never let work and personal mix again. He'd never be the cause of her almost dying, or worse. He'd rather die himself than do that to her.

A transfer had been easy to get. He had a favour or two that he was owed and he called them in, not caring what the FBI thought of him. So he left the hospital, left town and desperately tried not to look back.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

He woke up as the door closed, blinked back the tears that had formed over his last dream. Sitting up, he saw Fornell walk over to him, two cups of coffee in his hand.

"How's she doing?" Fornell asked.

Callen shrugged. "She's … I don't know." He wasn't sure of anything except that she was still alive, the machines gentle rhythmic beat telling him her heart was still beating. But she hadn't move, she hadn't woken up, fluttered her eyes lids, or made a sound of her own yet. He tried to focus on what Nate's voice had said in his mind. The doctors were keeping her sedated for a reason. He glanced at his watch and realised it was just over twenty four hours since this had happened. Still a few more hours before the doctors would let her start to wake up.

Fornell handed him one of the coffees. "Thanks," Callen replied.

"Gibbs is checking in with Hetty for you. See how the girls are doing. He'll be here soon."

Callen nodded, his gaze focused on the only girl who mattered to him right now. They sat there quietly, the silence oddly companionable. A few minutes later Gibbs walked through the door and Callen looked up. Gibbs nodded with a smile and that was all Callen needed to see. The girls were okay.

His attention was pulled back to the bed at a sound.

"Bella?" Callen said concerned as she started to move her head from side to side.

"No." Her words were soft but he could hear the distress behind them.

"No, he wouldn't," she continued.

"Bella." Callen reached out and held her hand, trying to reassure her. She didn't open her eyes though, she was still asleep.

"No."

Callen glanced at Fornell who was frowning. He was about to ask what was wrong when Kim spoke again.

"He...Did he..." Fornell stood quickly at her words.

"No," she moaned.

"Help me Callen. Help me stop her moving."

Callen frowned at the urgent tone to Fornell's words as he moved to hold Kim still.

"What?"

"She's dreaming about last time, when she found out you were gone," Fornell replied, then glanced at Gibbs. "Ring that bell," he ordered.

Callen put his arm gently but firmly across her shoulders to hold her still. Fornell placed a restraining arm carefully across her lower body, below where the wound from the knife would be.

Callen moved close to her ear. "Bella, listen to me. I'm here." Callen could feel her struggles getting stronger.

"Bella come on. Think of something happy. You can do it." He thought back to his dreams, not all of them were happy though. Finally he found one. "Your birthday, remember your birthday. It was the first time I made you pancakes, remember the bracelet, remember what came after. I'm here Bella." She slowly stopped struggling and he relaxed a little. Fornell moved away, breathing a sigh of relief, just as the nurse walked in.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not anymore," said Callen. Fornell glanced at him.

"I'm not going anywhere. She doesn't need to be sedated anymore. I'll make sure she stays still," Callen assured him.

Fornell nodded to the nurse and she left. Gibbs stepped over to stand next to Fornell. They both looked at Callen as he stood up, releasing her now she was still again.

Gibbs glanced down at Kim then back to Callen.

Fornell spoke first. "She needs you Callen. Don't let her down again."

"You do, and I'm not making any promises that I won't make a move," Gibbs advised him.

"Ow," Gibbs added as Fornell quickly and unexpectedly smacked him on the back of his head. "What was that for?"

"Stay away from my niece Gibbs. She's not going to become ex-wife number four," Fornell warned.

Callen chuckled, earning a glare from Gibbs. "Who said anything about ex?" Gibbs asked, narrowly avoiding another one as he sidestepped out of Fornell's reach.

"Callen, she's a great girl. Don't mess it up this time." Gibbs added.

Callen looked down at her. "I won't." _If I get lucky enough to get another chance._


	23. Chapter 23

_A/N - So, time for a cup of tea or whatever it is you drink, because this is a very, very long chapter. _

_Thank goodness the plot bunnies behaved. Though, whether this chapter is like a well tended carrot patch or one where they have been rampaging haphazardly is debatable. Please do let me know what you think._

_Reviews, alerts etc always appreciated. The encouragement is what helps keep me strong enough to herd those bunnies to where they should be, most of the time._

_A little explanation of what is coming up. _

_Kim/Bella (whoever she is in your head) is dreaming whilst she is sedated. The double lines of _o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o _is the beginning of the whole dream/nightmares section. Double ones at the end too. A single one just separates the individual ones and/or her thoughts to each of them. Her thoughts and feelings to them are centred and generally in italics so hopefully it won't be too hard to follow. Apologies if it is._

_One of the nightmares mixes in with the scene at the end of the last chapter, hopefully that will all make sense too.  
_

_I hope you enjoy this, it took a while to get the idea going for what I wanted and I really hope it works._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1._

_Enjoy._

_._

**Chapter 23**

There was a darkness. A numbness that was over everything. Her body, her mind, maybe even over her soul. She didn't know how long she floated there, in the middle of nothing. It could have been a minute, an hour or years. Time had no meaning. She didn't think, she didn't feel, she just existed there, waiting patiently for something else.

Then came another type of darkness. One that came between the dreams and the nightmares. The one that was at times, relief; at other times, punishment. A relief when it came and took away the nightmares. Punishment, when it took away the dreams, like it was trying to tell her that she was wrong for holding onto them. They were never going to happen again. He would never be hers.

There were times when she fought so hard to find the darkness, the relief that it would bring. Times when she was successful at holding back the dreams that would eventually turn to nightmares. Then, there were the times when she wasn't. When the nightmares continued no matter how hard she fought, how hard she looked for that welcoming dark place.

There were times when the darkness slipped in, where it wasn't welcome or wanted. Times when she fought so hard to get back to those. Those where she knew that she could have that dream and it wouldn't turn to a nightmare. Isolated times in their life together from long ago. When they were happy. When they were together and when she believed that he did love her. When she believed that things would work out. That there would be a happily ever after for them. Before she learnt how wrong she had been.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Her eyes finally opened and she looked through the haze that seemed to be over them, to see her uncle holding her hand. She blinked a few times and things cleared a little.

"G?" she croaked out through an extremely dry throat. She hurt, but she didn't care what damage there was from the bullet. She needed to know he was all right.

"He's fine," her uncle assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_No! _

She fought to go back to the dark.

_Not that one. Never that one._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Kid is _not_ my name," she stated.

"What is?" he asked her, a smile on his face. He had a cute smile. She found herself returning it easily, and her heart fluttering a little at it as well.

"Kimberly," she answered.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Come back._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"What about me?" he asked.

"Don't know," she finally replied. She wasn't exactly having the same feelings for him as she did for Simon and Neil.

She smiled and added, "Maybe. Depends on how you say it." _And where? _She really shouldn't go there but it was hard not to. There was something about him, something that felt different to anyone else she'd met. She'd found men attractive before but, this ... this was very different.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_That was the end. Take me back to the beginning._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She heard Neil and Simon talking to someone and walked into their shared office space, glancing over at the other agent who was there with them. She wondered if he was the one that her boss had mentioned she might be working with soon. Agent Callen or something.

"Hey Kid," Neil said and she heard _him_ chuckle.

She turned and looked at him. "What?" she asked.

"Is Kid the name you go by? That's all they seem to use," he asked as he glanced to the two agents behind her and back again.

Kim rolled her eyes and turned back to Neil and Simon.

"Seriously guys? Can you grow up?" she told them and turned back to him.

"Kid is _not_ my name," she stated.

"What is?" he asked her, a smile on his face. He had a cute smile. She found herself returning it easily, and her heart fluttering a little at it as well.

"Kimberly," she answered.

"Kimberly Isabella Donovan," Simon elaborated.

"Agent Kid for short," Neil added.

Kim rolled her eyes and he smiled at her again. Her heart jumped this time. Damn, his smile is dangerous.

"Pretty name. No wonder you don't like Kid," he said.

She blushed slightly. "I don't mind Kid, depending on who it's coming from." She tilted her head to indicate Simon and Neil as she continued. "These idiots seem to find it highly amusing." She did actually adore those two 'idiots'.

"What about me?" he asked.

"Don't know," she finally replied. She wasn't exactly having the same feelings for him as she did for Simon and Neil.

She smiled and added, "Maybe. Depends on how you say it." _And where? _She really shouldn't go there but it was hard not to imagine the possibility of his voice, soft and gentle, whispering in her ear. There was something about him, something that felt different to anyone else she'd met. She'd found men attractive before but, this ... this was very different. And she liked it.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She smiled as the memory of their first meeting faded and she settled into that dark place, and drifted again, the warmth of the memory keeping her content.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She moved so she was in front of him. "It's okay," she said to the bodyguards before she turned around and glared at him. They were so close, what was wrong with him. She tried to ignore the little leap of her heart at what he had done, and the funny feeling that had something to do with being pleased about him defending her.

She turned back to the bodyguards, "We're going. We don't want any trouble."

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_No, not that one either._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"He's gone Kimmy."

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_NO! I said not that one, ever!_

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"You've been here a month Donovan. Hopefully you've learned something, even in that short space of time. These tests are particularly relevant to the mission that we want you on. It's long term, so we need to make sure that the right person is on the job with Agent Callen," her boss said.

She turned her gaze from her boss to him, her eyes staying on him even though her question was directed back to her boss. "How do you know he's the right person?" Just what is it about him that makes him perfect. Mentally, she shook her head and added, for this job. She couldn't possibly know he was perfect … yet.

He tilted his head, a smile spreading slowly on his face. "Not interested in working with me?" he asked.

She held back a smile as she answered, "I'm interested." Her eyes wandered over him and as she looked back at his face and he raised an eyebrow in question. She blushed slightly and smiled as she continued. "Just wondering what was in the job description."

"I passed," he replied.

You get to test me, do I get to test you too? she wondered silently.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Never did get to test him._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She turned her head, her eyes already filled with tears. "Go to hell, Callen," she choked, as she pulled the door open and ran out. She ran fast, turned around the side of their building. There was a park out the back, she'd go there. But she slammed into someone and felt something go over her mouth. She tried to scream but she couldn't, and then she felt herself go weak and everything started to go black, as she fainted.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_No, _she wimpered.

_No. First test, go back to that._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She moved slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder and smiled when he slipped his arm around her. She wondered how he would react to what she was about to do. She turned her head, her body following slightly as she rested her hand on his chest; a warm, firm chest, and placed a gentle kiss on his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. She felt him tense, and silently giggled. This was going to be fun.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

The darkness crept in, stealing her dream. She fought to get it back. She liked this one.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Dinner tonight. You and me," he said, bringing her attention back to him.

She raised her eyebrows. "You're taking me on a date without even asking?"

Neil and Simon chuckled. He was looking like he was having difficultly avoiding joining them.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Later that night, go there. Dinner._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Just want to make sure I get my priorities right." She wondered what he was thinking. She was sure she had caught his eyes checking her out, except he was quite quick about it.

"Your priorities?" he asked.

He definitely seemed distracted. She smiled knowingly, sure now that he had been looking at her similar to the way he had caught her looking at him. Tonight could get very interesting.

"Yeah. What if you take me to a really nice place that there is just no way on my pitiful salary," she glanced briefly at her boss as she said that, before returning her eyes to him, "I could afford to go to myself. Girl might have to make the most of it and eat first."

"I promise you can eat. Just do the test first," he said seriously. Though she could see the laughter in his eyes as he fought to not look at her team mates.

"They leave after the test is over, right?" she asked. Her eyes locked with his.

"Right," he agreed.

"Good," she replied.

"Why?" he asked.

She smiled but didn't answer him. Girl has to have some secrets.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Now can I have later?_

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She moved slightly so she could rest her head on his shoulder and smiled when he slipped his arm around her. She wondered how he would react to what she was about to do. She turned her head, her body following slightly as she rested her hand on his chest; a warm, firm chest, and placed a gentle kiss on his neck, just above the collar of his shirt. She felt him tense, and silently giggled. This was going to be fun.

"Red tie, 4 o'clock," she whispered softly as she kissed his neck again, moving slowly up, her body turning into him further with each kiss.

"Glasses, 7 o'clock," and she still continued. She had a feeling she was going to be in trouble. She was having a hard time concentrating on the answers she was giving him. Too side tracked with how it felt to be so close to him. "Couple, woman, blue dress. 10 o'clock." She was almost at his ear.

"Bartender who made our drinks." She whispered this last one in his ear. "Can we eat now?" she asked as she pulled back, most reluctantly.

"Are you positive about your answers?" he asked.

"Yes." She smiled. She was still in his arms, hand on his chest, her fingers had slipped between the buttons and resting against his skin.

He smiled. "What gave the bartender away?" he asked.

"Not enough wine," she smiled as she pointed to her glass. Not a smart move, she thought after the fact, as it took her fingers away from him.

She moved and lent back in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder and, as each of the agents left, she gave them a small wave of her fingers.

"Very good," he said softly, near her ear. "Only been here five minutes."

She turned her head slightly and looked at him. She could hardly breathe, he was so close. Just a little bit closer...

"Told you it wouldn't take me long," she said, her gaze dropping to his lips.

Before he could say or do anything, a waiter came over and interrupted them.

"Sir, your table is ready." She swallowed the moan of disappointment at the interruption, wondering, not if, but when, she'd get the chance to kiss him.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Again, this one kept her happy in the darkness for a while, but she wasn't strong enough to fight the next one.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She woke up strapped to a chair.

"Bella is it?" a voice asked her. She turned to the voice and froze. It was Marks.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Your boyfriend hits quite hard for office worker," he said as he walked around in front of her. She noticed the bruise on his face and tried not to smile.

"So? He works out," she said. She was getting a very bad feeling about this.

"Yes, Agent Callen does, doesn't he?" Marks asked.

"Who?"

"Don't play dumb with me Agent Donovan," he said.

"I'm not-" He stopped her words with a back-handed slap across the face.

"I wonder how long it will take him to find you. That is, if he even bothers to try," Marks said. He glanced behind her and nodded. She turned her head to see who was there, but someone put their hands on her head, holding it still as they put a needle in her neck. She felt the effects quickly but managed to turn back to Marks.

"You won't-"

"What? Get away with this? Of course I will. He has no idea where you are, and you didn't have your phone on you. Very silly, Agent Donovan." Then everything went black again.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Please no. _

But the darkness was cruel and her nightmare continued.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

A loud crash woke her, her heart racing as she looked around for the source.

"Kim," a familiar voice called out softly. She turned her head to look behind her toward it.

She blinked, trying to clear her vision. "Simon?"

Simon moved closer and came around in front of her. "At your service, milady. Let's get you out of here."

"G?" she asked as Simon released her wrists and she flexed her fingers getting the blood pumping again.

"Right here," his voice came from behind. She turned and looked at him, her heart leaping as she saw the face of the man that she loved so much. She had so much to tell him once they got out of here. Simon released her feet and she stood up, only to collapse again. Appeared the drugs were still in her system. Simon caught her and held her up.

"Get her out of here," he ordered.

"Not so fast," she heard Marks voice come from behind him. She saw him turn quickly, gun aimed.

"I'm impressed Greg, you found her so quickly. How did you do that?" Marks asked him. She turned around, finally able to get some control of her legs.

"Get Bella out of here," he yelled back to Simon, though didn't take his eyes off Marks.

She heard gunfire and felt something hit her in the stomach. Then the pain hit and she screamed his name.

"G!"

She heard more gunfire but she didn't look up. All she could do was look at the blood that was on her. Her hands went to her stomach and finally she looked for him. She was scared. She wanted him. But he didn't come. He'd moved to the door and looked back at her.

"G," she tried to call out, but it was barely more than a whisper. She knew Simon and Neil were right next to her but all she could see was the anger in his eyes. She didn't know what scared her the most. The fact that she could die or the way he was looking at her, before he turned and left.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Please, no. I don't want to see the rest._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"You know, the whole Kid thing from you. Not working," she told him.

"You don't like the way I say it?" he asked, eyebrows raised and curious.

She smiled. "No, you say it very well. It's more that I don't feel like a kid with you."

"What do you feel like?" he asked.

She caught her lip between her teeth, a nervous habit she was trying to break, as she debated how exactly to answer that question. She smiled and slipped her arms up around his neck, pulled herself up on her toes, bringing her body in closer contact with his and she kissed him. Not the light or pretend kisses that they'd been doing tonight. But a real one. And he responded.

She pulled back, "That."

"What should it be then?" he asked, not making a comment about the kiss, as he slipped a hand up to her neck to hold her close. "Kimberly, Kim," he paused, "or Bella?" he suggested softly.

"Bella could work," she agreed, taken by surprise that he just hadn't settled for Kim.

He made the move to kiss her this time, but just before he did, he whispered, "Beautiful," against her lips.

"So happy with Bella?" he asked her when he pulled back

"Works for me," she managed to respond, still reeling from his kiss. It was even more intense than the one just before, that she had started.

He grinned and added, "By the way you passed."

She frowned. "Passed what?"

"Your final test," he said.

"Which was?" She was very confused. Then he kissed her again, slowly, deeply and very real.

"That," he added, when he pulled back to allow her to breathe.

"Oh," she replied softly.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Thank you. Their first real kiss. The second and third test. When he first called her Bella._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She giggled at something Marks had said. It wasn't funny in any sense of the word but he thought it was and she needed him to think she was interested. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw G take a drink. She knew he wasn't happy about what was going on. She wasn't either. Marks gave her the creeps and it took everything she had not to push his hands off her and run out the door. Marks slipped his arm around her shoulder, his hand precariously close to groping her and she fought the urge to throw up. When Marks placed his other hand on her leg, just below the hemline of her dress, her hand actually started to move to push him away. She had to change tactics and ran her fingers up over his arm, trying to remember this was meant to happen.

She giggled again and then Marks moved his hand up, slipping it slightly under her dress. The next thing she knew G had pulled Marks off her and landed a swift punch to his face, sending him flying back crashing into the floor, unconscious. The bodyguards had their guns and aimed at G quickly.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Stop, please stop. _

But it didn't stop. She was only given a brief moment of reprieve before the darkness slid away and the nightmare picked up right where it left off.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She moved so she was in front of him, to protect him. "It's okay," she said to the bodyguards before she turned around and glared at him. They were so close, what was wrong with him. She tried to ignore the little leap of her heart at what he had done, and the funny feeling that had something to do with being pleased about him defending her.

She turned back to the bodyguards, "We're going. We don't want any trouble." She pushed him toward the door whilst she was still facing them. Outside they got in a cab, she gave the driver the address and neither of them spoke during the ride.

As soon as she got inside the house she turned to him.

"Why did you let it get personal back there?" she asked him frustrated, but at the same time elated that he actually seemed to feel that whatever this was between them was more than the job.

"Personal? It's a job Bella. That's all this is," he replied, his tone harsh.

She felt like a knife had just been slammed into her chest. She stumbled back as she'd actually been hit.

"Just a … not personal," she whispered. She'd been so wrong. She'd been so sure he felt more for her, just like she felt for him.

She turned and reached for the door.

"Bella," he called, his tone softer this time, but it just made the pain worse.

She turned her head, her eyes already filled with tears. "Go to hell, Callen," she choked, as she pulled the door open and ran out. She ran fast, turned around the side of their building. There was a park out the back, she'd go there. But she slammed into someone and felt something go over her mouth. She tried to scream but she couldn't, and then she felt herself go weak and everything started to go black as she fainted.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She welcomed the darkness this time, when it finally decided to save her. She didn't reach for another dream, too afraid that she would follow the path of this one. Eventually one came on it's own. One that this time, she welcomed.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"The water's cold," she said as she dipped her toe into the pool and pulled it out quickly.

"So? Isn't that the way you want it on a hot day?"

She shook her head at him, "No."

"Come on," he encouraged her from his spot in the pool.

"No." She stepped back away from the pool, turning to go back to her seat and just enjoy the sun and the view. He was particularly good to watch. She didn't expect him to come up behind her, dripping wet, to pick her up.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting you wet," he replied as he walked them back to the steps.

"Don't you dare!" she squealed as he stepped into the water.

He looked at her and smiled. "I'll keep you warm."

She got distracted by the heat and promise in his eyes and forgot about protesting, at least until he dropped her in the water and she went under at the sudden lack of support.

She came up out of the water, glared at him, whilst trying to figure how to make him pay for that move. He just smiled, pulled her into his arms and kissed her, accessing her mouth quickly with the shocked gasp she took just before his lips crashed onto hers. So maybe, just maybe, she'd let him get away with it this once. After all, he was making it up to her with an extremely delightful kiss that was sending a thrilling fire through her entire body.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Her heart started to ache. "He...Did he..." She couldn't get anymore words out.

"No, he didn't leave a number."

She didn't know what hurt more, the pain in her stomach from the bullet or the pain in her heart. It felt like a knife cutting it in half and the sobs that followed only hurt more.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She fought so hard, finally found the darkness before this one could see through to it's end. Only just though.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She stepped in and, in the dim light that Gibbs shined onto the floor she saw the sight that made her heart break even more than knowing he didn't care.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She flinched away from that one quickly and finally, a reprieve, something so sweet and so sad at the same time.

It was the moment when she knew she loved him.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She was crying softly into the pillow when she heard the bedroom door open. She sat up quickly and tried to wipe the tears away, before he could see them. It was a futile attempt because even if he hadn't seen the tears, her red eyes would have given her away. And if he didn't notice those, he really shouldn't be an FBI Agent.

"Bella, what's wrong?" he asked gently as he sat on the edge of the bed next to her, his fingers gently wiping away a couple of the tears she had missed on her cheek.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He shook his head. "Don't be sorry, just tell me. Let me help."

She moved into his arms, just as the tears started falling again.

"Henry," she managed to say. He knew the story. "Today..."

"Today was the day."

She nodded and felt his arms tighten around her, his fingers gently stroking her back as she continued to cry.

When she had no more left, she looked up at him. He smiled gently, brushed away the tears the still clung to her cheeks.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

She frowned.

"You usually go visit his grave. Can't do that, maybe we can do something else."

She stared at him, stunned, confused but ever so grateful that the man she had fallen in love with was so wonderful.

Because she had fallen in love with him, even as she'd tried so hard to keep it professional, to not let all of this be personal, she hadn't been successful.

"Henry loved Italian food," she said softly.

"Eat out or cook it ourselves?"

She felt the tears come again. That helped her decision.

"Cook it ourselves. Don't think it's a good idea for me to be out at the moment."

"Suits me, I like having you to myself," he replied.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Uncle," Gibbs replied, his tone full of surprise.

"Which one?" asked Fornell with a chuckle, as she stepped back and released Gibbs. The adrenaline firing up in her, knowing what would be happening soon. Whether it was from fear of the mission, fear of how she would react to seeing him again or fear that they might be too late to save him, she wasn't sure, but she'd take the adrenaline rush, make the most of it and push away the fear.

"Both. You didn't tell me she could do that," Gibbs said, as he ran a hand over his face.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_No, don't. I can't see him like that. Please don't. _

But her begging was no use. The darkness recided and the memory returned, this time starting from the beginning and again, she couldn't fight it.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Focus on the job Dononvan, it's not personal...Donovan," Gibbs said sharply, following it up with a trademark head smack. "You zone out like - " his words cut off as he found himself up close and personal with the rough stone wall, feeling it scratch his face.

"You head smack me again, you'll remember this wall as a friend," she said harshly.

"Uncle," Gibbs replied, his tone full of surprise.

"Which one?" asked Fornell with a chuckle, as she stepped back and released Gibbs. The adrenaline firing up in her, knowing what would be happening soon. Whether it was from fear of the mission, fear of how she would react to seeing him again or fear that they might be too late to save him, she wasn't sure, but she'd take the adrenaline rush, make the most of it and push away the fear.

"Both. You didn't tell me she could do that," Gibbs said, as he ran a hand over his face.

"You're not bleeding Gibbs, don't worry. Didn't do it that hard," she assured him.

"I told you she was married to a Seal," Fornell said as he loaded up with what he needed. She followed suit.

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me she was one too." That made her smile as she checked that her gun was fully loaded and ready.

"Did you really think he wouldn't teach me what he could to keep me safe considering what I do?" she asked as she pocketed extra bullets and slipped her knife into it's sheath on her belt, making sure she had her lock picking equipment easily accessible. She was sure she was going to need it tonight.

"Didn't cross my mind," Gibbs said.

"Make sure you don't forget it," she warned with a glance at his cheek. Gibbs absently rubbed it.

"I won't."

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Get in there and get him Donovan, " Gibbs ordered.

"You talk, not me, and no more names," she hissed as she bent down to pick the padlock on the cell door. It clicked open with ease and she opened the door slowly, making sure it didn't make a noise. She stepped in and, in the dim light that Gibbs shined onto the floor she saw the sight that made her heart break even more than knowing he didn't care. He was lying there on the cold stone, chained to the floor. She moved quickly, checked his pulse, it was so weak but at least it was still there. She took care of the handcuff locks even quicker than the door. Gibbs heard the clicks and stepped back into the room slightly.

"Come Callen. Get up," he ordered, firm but softly.

Callen moaned in pain, and she started to reach for him, his name slipping from her lips in a soft whisper. She hoped he didn't hear it. She continued to reach for him and managed to help him up.

"Callen, move it soldier. We didn't come to join you in the cell. We came to get you out."

"Gibbs?" Callen whispered, a raspy sounding one, that heaped more pain on the already open wound in her heart. How she had missed his voice.

"Yep, now move it," Gibbs ordered as he came up on the other side of Callen to her and they moved him as quickly as they could manage.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"He's going to be fine," the doctor assured them. "He should be able to go home in a week. We'll start reducing the medication today."

"Thanks Doc," Gibbs said.

She turned to look at the man on the bed. She took a breath, blinked back the tears before they could fall and turned away.

"I'm going now," she said as she stepped toward the door.

"Donovan, stay. I'm sure he'll want to see you," Gibbs said.

"No, he won't," she said.

"Donova-"

"Don't Gibbs... Don't. Remember, he never knows I was here," she reminded him.

"Kim," Fornell spoke up.

"No, Uncle Toby. He doesn't want me, he never did. I won't stay to hear it again. I'll see you at home sometime." She looked at Gibbs. "Nice working with you Gibbs, maybe we'll do it again sometime. Officially."

"Anytime," Gibbs said.

She took one last glance at the man on the bed and left, her heart staying behind and the tears breaking free once she was out the door.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She walked through the door, tired and drained.

"Hey," she heard his voice as he stood in the doorway. "Everything go okay?"

She looked up at him. She loved him so much, but it wasn't enough.

She shook her head and the tears fell. He was there so quickly, holding her.

"I'm sorry Brendan. I can't ... I can't do this anymore."

"Kim?"

"It was him. I went to get him." She wasn't even sure Brendan would hear her. But he did.

"Callen."

She nodded.

"You still love him don't you?" Whether it was her voice or her heart, he knew both better than she thought.

"I'm sorry."

"Kim?"

She looked up at him. "I'm not enough?" he asked.

"It's not that. I can't give you enough."

"I'll take what you can give Kim. I love you."

"I love you too, but I …" She stopped as a sob ripped through her throat.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm here. However you want me," he reassured her as he held her tight.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Please, just let me stay here, quiet and dark, no more. _

But it didn't listen and the one she never wanted to see again came back.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Her eyes finally opened and she looked through the haze that seemed to be over them, to see her uncle holding her hand. She blinked a few times and things cleared a little.

"G?" she croaked out through an extremely dry throat. She hurt, but she didn't care what damage there was from the bullet. She needed to know he was all right.

"He's fine," her uncle assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Where?" she asked. It was so hard to get her voice to work.

He shook his head.

She frowned at his reaction. "Where?" she asked him again, her voice slightly stronger.

"He's gone Kimmy."

"Gone?" She tried to sit up, to look around, but it hurt too much. Adding to that, her uncle had stood up and was holding her down gently, urging her to stay still.

She looked up at him and willed her voice to work. She needed to know. "What? To eat, to sleep? What do you mean, gone?" she begged.

"Gone. He left."

_._

_"Bella?" _

_His voice. But he's not here, where did that come from?_

_._

"No." She shook her head. "No, he wouldn't." She felt the tears push against her eyes. She didn't care. Her uncle must be lying. He wouldn't just leave. Not after everything they'd been through, everything that had happened between them.

_._

_"Bella." _

_She felt something touch her hand, something warm, familiar. Something about this wasn't right. This wasn't part of that memory._

_._

"He has," her uncle confirmed again.

She shook her head again. "No." The tears started to fall.

"He changed agencies, moved away," he added.

Her heart started to ache. "He...Did he..." She couldn't get anymore words out.

"No, he didn't leave a number."

She didn't know what hurt more, the pain in her stomach from the bullet or the pain in her heart. It felt like a knife cutting it in half and the sobs that followed only hurt more.

"No," she moaned.

The sobs took over her body, became stronger and more uncontrolled. Her body arched off the bed with her cry, only to change direction, as she tried to curl into a ball, to try and stop herself from breaking. How could he leave her?

"Personal? It's a job Bella. That's all this is." She heard his words in her mind so clearly.

_._

_"Bella, listen to me. I'm here." _

_His voice, but he's not here. She fought to stay with that voice, to not let the nightmare find her again. But it mingled with his words and her struggle continued, the pain in her heart increasing._

_"Bella come on. Think of something happy. You can do it." _

_I don't want to be in this nightmare. Please. Please, help me._

_"Your birthday, remember your birthday." _

_The voice continued to fight for her, to give her strength as she tried to focus on what he was saying. _

_"It was the first time I made you pancakes, remember the bracelet, remember what came after. I'm here Bella." _

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She came out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around her and stood in the kitchen doorway watching him, as he flipped the pancake he was cooking. He turned and started cutting up some fruit and she smiled. She didn't say anything just watched him. He turned back to the pan and gave it another flip. But mid-flip, he caught sight of her and the pancake landed on the floor and she laughed.

"That was your breakfast you know," he said as he picked it up off the floor and threw it in the bin. She walked over to him and put her arms around him.

"So you were only making me one pancake?"

"No," he said as his arms slipped around her. She smiled up at him as she felt his fingers play with the top of the towel. "How hungry are you?" he asked, desire in his eyes that made her weak, as he reached over and turned off the burner.

"I can wait a bit longer," she replied softly as his fingers found the end of the towel, just as his lips descended on hers.

Best birthday ever.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

_Birthday, there was more. I need the rest, please. I need the beginning. Please let me stay happy. Don't take this away. Please._

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She was asleep, mostly anyway. Somehow even through sleep she was conscious of him there beside her. That safe feeling she felt in his arms made itself known to her even in sleep. She felt his fingers run up her arms, though she wasn't sure if it was for real or part of the dream she was having. Either way, she didn't want to move away, so she snuggled closer. It happened again and reluctantly she started to roll away, only then he was kissing her and the moment his lips touched hers, her dream and reality mixed and she enjoyed both.

When he pulled back, she opened her eyes and looked at him. She felt a slight blush coming across her face, not entirely sure how he was going to react to what she had just done.

"Nice dream?" he asked.

"Nice wake up," she smiled at him. She could definitely get used to being woken up by him like that. He moved slightly on the bed, though not away from her, then handed her a small present.

"Happy Birthday," he said softly as he gave it to her.

"But it's not-" she started to say.

"It's one of them," he said.

"I-" She was confused. It was her real birthday, not her alias. Why was he...

"Open it," he prompted her.

She smiled and sat up, pulling the sheet around her. She tore the paper off and opened the box. She let out a soft gasp and looked at him.

"G, it's beautiful," she said as she gently took the delicate silver bracelet out of the box. She carefully held one of the tiny flowers on her finger. It was perfect.

"Just like you," he replied as he helped her put it on.

She looked at him, she no idea what to say. She couldn't figure out why he had done this. Did it mean that this was more than just a job? Could he possibly feel something for her too? She didn't have the courage to ask so instead, she lent over and kissed him gently.

"Thank you," she whispered, before she kissed him again and found a new way to enjoy her birthday.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

The darkness descended again, but the memory stayed, a faded version gently playing over in her mind, keeping the nightmares at bay.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

They were sitting on the couch, he had his legs up over hers, whilst they read. She'd had enough and put her book down. He was still engrossed in his. She waited patiently, but he didn't seem to even notice she was watching him. A slightly devious smile came across her features and she ran her fingernails down the back of one of his legs. She saw the smile twitch on his face, but he didn't show any other reactions. So she did it again, only this time she kept going down to the back of his knees, which most definitely got a reaction. His legs were off her in a split second and he even dropped the book.

"Oh," she exclaimed softly, "did that tickle?"

"No," he quickly denied.

"It did! After all this time, I've finally found the spot," she said. She almost felt like a child all exited on Christmas morning when they found the present they wanted most under the tree.

"Yeah? Even if you have, doesn't mean you stand a chance of using it."

"Challenging me?" She asked as she moved off the couch to follow him as he stood up and moved away from her.

"You think you'd win?" he asked as he stopped and turned to her. She stopped abruptly. She knew that look. She was in trouble. He stepped toward her slowly, deliberately.

"G," she said.

"Bella," he replied as he continued to step closer and she backed away.

"What are you up to?"

"Not up to anything ... not yet," he replied as he finally reached where she had backed herself up against the wall.

He stood so close, yet he didn't touch her. He looked at her and that look was all it took to send her temperature soaring and her knees weak. And he knew it. He'd known for a while what that look did to her.

"Do you want me to be up for something?" he asked suggestively as he gently ran a finger down her cheek, then her neck. She closed her eyes and waited for his touch to continue. But he stopped, just at the neckline of her shirt and placed his hand flat, right where he could feel her heart racing underneath.

"What do you want Bella?" he asked softly, his breath rushing past her ear and down her neck. "Tell me."

"You. Only you." she whispered back as his lips claimed hers, ticklish spots long forgotten.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She smiled as the dream finished, grateful when the darkness was generous for once and gave her more.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"This isn't the only thing that increases your endorphins you know," he said as he broke some off and held it out to her, just in front of her mouth.

She took it and ate it slowly, as his gaze held hers. Callen's hands settling on her knees, thumbs tracing circles on the insides of her knees.

"Do you have something else in mind?" she asked when she finished.

He smiled slowly, slipped one of his hands gently behind her neck. She swallowed nervously, not terrified but excited, she was sure she knew what was coming. Callen closed the distance and kissed her. Her arms went round him quickly, holding him close. They'd been pushing the limits for a while, both enjoying the phsyical side of the mission but never crossing the line. Which, she had to admit, was something she really wanted to do. With him. Only with him.

Her mouth opened under his and he deepened the kiss.

Eventually she pulled back and looked at him.

"If black is stop, white would be continue, right?" she asked him, as she ran a finger gently over his bottom lip.

"Guess that would make sense," he replied.

She smiled and whispered, "White." She moved her head to capture his lips with hers as her hands moved to the buttons on his shirt and started working on them.

He pulled back.

"Bella?" he whispered.

She bit her lip, nervous that she'd pushed too much. "Sorry."

Callen shook his head. "Did you mean it?"

She smiled again, her eyes lighting up at the obvious interest in his eyes and his question. "White," she repeated.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"We should probably talk," he said, as he ran his fingers over her bare back. She smiled, enjoying his touch.

"About?" she asked softly. She was so happy and content, lying here with him. Forgetting everything outside the walls, just for a little while. For now, her world was perfect.

"What just happened?"

She looked up at him, a mischievous smile, "You don't know?"

"We crossed the line Bella."

"Whose line? Yours, mine or someone else's?" she asked him.

He frowned.

"G, we are stuck in this life for anywhere up to a year, maybe even longer. It's not like we can just go out and find someone else to do this with. That would well and truly compromise the mission." Plus, she didn't want to do this with anyone else. She hadn't felt this strongly about anyone before. Though she wouldn't be admitting that anytime soon.

"So we do it together?" he asked.

She smiled to herself. At least he seemed interested.

"Why not? I like you, which should be more than obvious by now." She frowned, a momentary flash of doubt running through her mind. Maybe this was just a proximity thing. "You do like me right?"

"Yes. But Bella-"

She cut him off. She knew what he was worried about.

"I know, it's not personal, it's just a job." He'd told her that before. It wasn't true for her, but she'd deal with that later. Maybe when this was over, things could be different. "Is there any reason why we can't enjoy the perks of the cover?" She started to run her fingers over his chest, placing the occasional kiss as well, between words. "I mean, I know I'm not exactly experienced with this, but you certainly seemed to enjoy what I was doing."

He rolled her over and smiled down at her. "For not experienced, you were exceptionally good."

She smiled at him, extremely aware of her reaction to him and his to her as she replied softly. "Just imagine then what I can do with a little practice."

"A lot of practice," he whispered, just before he kissed her again.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"Get Bella out of here," he yelled back to Simon.

She heard gunfire and felt something hit her in the stomach. Then the pain hit and she screamed his name.

"G!"

She heard more gunfire but she didn't look up. All she could do was look at the blood that was on her. Her hands went to her stomach and finally she looked for him. She was scared. She wanted him. But he didn't come. He'd moved to the door and looked back at her.

"G," she tried to call out, but it was barely more than a whisper. She knew Simon and Neil were right next to her but all she could see was the anger in his eyes. She didn't know what scared her the most. The fact that she could die or the way he was looking at her, before he turned and left.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Her eyes went wide as she let out a gasp of pain when she felt a knife plunge into her stomach and her assailant put his arm around her to stop her falling. She looked up into the face of someone she hadn't seen in fifteen years, someone she believed was dead.

"Bella, how delightful to run into you."

"Marks?" she let out on a breath. She thought bullet was bad, this was worse.

"Surprised to see me?" he asked her.

"You're dead," she managed to get out.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

"No," she whispered, despair in hers.

"Goodbye Bella. You know, it really is a shame you two didn't have a child. She would have been beautiful and perfect for my needs."

Marks pushed her and she fell, collapsing hard against the pavement, holding her stomach tight where he pulled out the knife.

"G," she cried out softly.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She welcomed the darkness again, hoping it wouldn't release her back to the nightmares, but one more was to follow. One that she couldn't place in either, because it belonged in both.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

She didn't know what to say. Just knew that standing here, her head against his back, her arms around him, was a perfect moment.

'You are going to be in so much ...Stop, I know. I don't need you reminding me that this is going to hurt.'

She quickly blinked back the tears that formed in her eyes at the thought.

He didn't move, not until they heard voices again on the balcony above them. He turned around and tilted her face up to look at him. "I love you," he said softly and caught her lips in a long, deep kiss, before she could reply. Her heart broke again to hear him say those words. Words she'd longed to hear. Longed to say. She couldn't say them back. To say them to him, even if it was for the mission, would be too much. She meant them. He didn't. But she kissed him back as if he did. She could pretend this was a dream. Pretend that he meant it, at least until the kiss ended. And then, she would just have to hope she could survive looking at him, knowing she loved him with everything that she was, knowing that he didn't.

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

o~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

The darkness that followed was different. It wasn't quite so dark. And it hurt. The pain from the dream followed her out. She couldn't find her way back. She'd moved on from that darkness. Now, it was the darkness that came when you closed your eyes. When you weren't asleep. And there, she heard his voice again.

"Bella?" His voice was soft and she could feel, yes she could feel again. He held her hand and she curled her fingers around them. Maybe she could hold onto this dream. He was here, at least in her dream. But it didn't help the pain.

She groaned softly, "Hurts," she whispered, her eyes still closed. She was dreaming. Must be, if she could hear his voice.

"Where?" she heard his voice ask.

"Heart, hurts cause you're going to leave."


	24. Chapter 24

_A/N - Okay, so short chapter this time. Finally they talk._

_Special thanks if you managed to read all of the last chapter._

_Reviews, alerts etc always appreciated._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 24**

Kim's eyes fluttered a little. Callen's opened wider at the sight, having been just about to close as he drifted off to sleep again.

"Bella?" he said softly as he moved closer to her and picked up her hand, her fingers curling around his. He smiled at that.

Kim groaned softly, "Hurts," she whispered, her eyes still closed. She was dreaming. Must be, if she could hear his voice.

"Where?" Callen was reaching for the bell to call the nurse but stopped at her answer.

"Heart, hurts cause you're going to leave." She couldn't open her eyes. She didn't want him to be gone and she was sure if she opened her eyes he wouldn't be here. She'd much rather stay in her dream world.

"No, I'm not leaving," Callen assured her.

"You didn't stay last time," Kim reminded him.

"It was a mistake. I should have."

_Definitely must be dreaming. _

"Why didn't you?" she asked. Dream or not, she wanted to know.

"Open your eyes Bella," he ordered gently. He needed to make sure she knew he was here, that it wasn't just her imagination.

"No," she cried softly. "I want you to stay," she begged.

Callen fought back the tears that came with the pain in her voice.

"Open them. I promise I'm here." He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently.

Callen saw the tears that slipped from her closed eyes. He stood up and lent down to kiss them away.

A sob went through her at his actions. _It feels so real. Could it really be him?_

"I'm here," he whispered. Callen stroked her hair, continued to hold her hand, anything to stay in contact with her, help her believe this was real.

He felt real, sounded real. What if he was? Kim's eyes finally opened, not able to resist the draw of knowing if this might be real.

"Why did you leave?" she asked again. Callen was holding her hand, he was right there. Didn't looked like he'd slept much and he looked sad, in pain, as he answered her question.

"You were hurt because of me. Seeing you lying in that hospital bed, knowing it was because I messed up. I couldn't bare the thought of it happening again, so I left. I'd failed so badly." Kim waited as he took a breath, reached out and stroked her cheek tenderly before he continued. "You were right. I did let it get personal. I couldn't stand him touching you. I was the only one allowed to do that."

"You were the only one I wanted," she whispered back to him.

Callen gently kissed her. Kim felt the tears fall from her eyes. He was here. He had stayed this time. She hoped desperately that this meant things would be different now, that he did care.

"You should have stayed in Russia," Callen said, surprising her.

Kim frowned. He shouldn't know that. "How-"

"Gibbs and Fornell. They're around somewhere."

Kim closed her eyes. "They shouldn't have."

Somehow she couldn't find it in her to be mad at them.

"You should have," Callen told her. Kim opened her eyes again and he smiled gently. "Did you really think I wouldn't have wanted to see you?"

"Yes," she admitted.

That sweet smile of his disappeared as he frowned.

"Why?" Callen asked.

"Because the last time you looked at me you were so angry with me," Kim admitted, tears and pain in her voice at the memory of that time.

He knew when she meant.

"Not with you," Callen shook his head then looked her squarely in her eyes. "Never with you ... I love you."

Kim looked at him, her eyes wide, a shocked and disbelieving look on her face.

If there hadn't been the steady beeping of the heart monitor that didn't change, she would have been sure her heart had leapt at his words.

"Am I dreaming?" she asked.

Callen grinned at her.

Her heart leapt again. He still had that dangerous smile of his.

"I'm pretty sure you could come up with a much better dream for me to tell you that I love you," Callen replied.

"Never thought you'd say it," Kim's voice breaking as she spoke. "Guess there's a first time for everything."

Callen lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers gently.

"This wasn't the first time," he admitted softly.

Kim frowned. "But ... When?" she asked, confused. Was he meaning back then?

"Balcony. Day before our 'anniversary' ... day before your birthday. I'm sorry I didn't remember."

_Balcony? He'd meant it then? _

"Why would you? It was only once," Kim said, focusing on the birthday reference.

"I didn't remember the date, but I do remember your birthday Bella." Callen frowned as he noticed the brief flash of emotion go across her face at the name. He didn't have time to decipher it, but given the way she'd reacted to that name before, he corrected himself quickly, not wanting to cause her any more pain. "Sorry. Kim."

She shook her head. "Bella." She smiled slightly. "Guess she still does exist."

Callen smiled softly, hopeful as he asked, "Does this mean I get a chance to make everything up to you?" He watched her eyes drift closed slightly. He saw her try and fight to keep them open. He put his finger on her lips, "We'll talk later. Sleep."

Kim shook her head slightly, "One thing first." Callen moved closer, her voice fading slowly as she fought the sleep that she needed to get better. "Love you too." Even though she closed her eyes after that and sleep claimed her, she still had a small smile on her face. Callen gently placed a kiss on her lips and then sat back in his chair.

He had a chance and he wouldn't blow it this time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

This time when Kim opened her eyes, Callen was asleep in the chair next to her. She tried to remember what was a dream and what was real. She struggled with it, the drugs still in her system making her mind a very wobbly place. She took a couple of slow, deep breaths, not too deep though, as her mind started to edge toward panic. He was here, she wouldn't go there again, wouldn't let the fear take over that he was going to leave.

She could feel the pull and the slight pain in her stomach where obviously the knife, it was a knife this time wasn't it, had struck. Pain was good. Pain meant alive. That she had learnt.

Kim looked at him again. Was it real? Had he really told her he loved her? He was here. That was a good thing, wasn't it? She need to know.

"G?" she called, her throat so dry that the attempt caused her to cough a little. She followed it up with a quiet moan of pain at the pull it caused.

"Bella," Callen suddenly woke up. He moved quickly, seeing the look of pain on her face, he was by he side in an instant.

"You move fast," she said with a small smile.

"For you, always." Callen frowned, she still looked in pain.

Kim looked at him, desperation in her voice as she asked, "G, what happened?"

"It was Marks. The surveillance- " Callen stopped and frowned as Kim shook her head.

"No. With us. I've been dreaming and I don't know what's real anymore."

Callen heard the pain in her voice. He moved closer, capturing his gaze with hers. Stroked her hair, kissed her very softly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I love you."

"That was real?"

"Yep." Callen smiled. "Need me to go through the rest with you again?"

Relief and hope filled every part of her at his reassurance.

"No," Kim shook her head and smiled at him. "Think I can work out real now. I did say it back right?"

"You did. No objections to hearing it again though," Callen teased gently.

"I love you." Kim remembered something else. "And you do get a chance." There was no way she was going to push him away, not now. Not if he wanted to be here with her.

Callen kissed her then, slowly and tenderly. One filled with all the love that he wanted her to know he had for her. When he stopped and looked into her eyes he was amazed to see the same feelings shining back at him.

"We should talk sometime," he said. "Bella, I … I'm sorry I left." He had to say it, had to make sure she knew that.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before how I felt. You kept telling me it shouldn't be personal," Kim said. If she'd told him what she really felt back then, things might have been so different.

"I know. Tried to tell myself the same thing."

Kim didn't really know what else to say. There was so much history, mistakes, loss. She didn't know if she wanted to relive it all.

"Why did you come for me?" Callen asked. "Why did you risk everything to go to Russia for someone you hated?" He had no idea why she had said yes. Neither did Gibbs or Fornell. Fornell had hinted that she was still in love with him, but he wanted to know for himself. He wanted the truth from her.

Kim shook her head. "No," she said. "I never hated you. I tried ... tried so hard, but I couldn't. So I tried to forget. When they called, when Uncle Toby asked me if I wanted to help, I couldn't say no."

"Why not?"

"Because I'd wanted you to be looking for me when I was in trouble. I thought it was you when Brendan came through the door. The same safe feeling that was always there with you," She choked up.

"Why did you leave Brendan?" he asked quietly

Kim starred at him, not quite sure how to answer this one.

"Your uncle said it was because -"

"Because I was in love with you," she finished.

"Was that true?" Callen asked not quite sure whether she was telling him the answer or finishing off what Fornell thought.

"Yes," Kim admitted. "I loved Brendan. I did, still do. But when it came down to it, I loved you so much more and he deserved so much better than I could give him."

"He just let you go?" Callen asked, finding it hard to believe anyone who had managed to get hold of her would let her go without a fight. _You did … Yeah, well that was stupid and I won't be doing it again._

"Turns out he knew me better than I knew myself. I told him about you once. Before we were even together. But he worked out so much more over time. He knew I loved you. But he knew I loved him too. He was willing to take whatever I could give him."

Callen held her hand against his cheek, whilst he took all that in and worked out what he would say to her next.

"If I'd know you'd come to Russia, if I'd known you still cared, I'd have found you, begged you for another chance."

Kim shook her head. She couldn't do this anymore, couldn't stand the pain of what they'd been through that she could hear in both her own voice and his.

"No more," she said. "We don't need to talk about this again. We both made mistakes, lost so much."

"I hurt you."

"Please G, don't go there. I want this now. You and me, now. Not those times anymore," she cried softly. She'd had enough reminders of that time from her nightmares. They'd paid for their mistakes for so long.

Callen gently cradled her cheek, wondering how he had gotten so lucky twice in his life to have this woman love him.

"G, I love you. Please …" She just wanted to start now, take all the good memories from the past and move on with just them. She didn't know if they could, but it was what she wanted.

"If that's what you want," Callen agreed. He didn't want to hurt her anymore, in any way.

"I do," Kim replied. "Just the good times from the past okay. Can we try that?"

"We can," Callen replied. Kim smiled and reached her hand out to his face. He closed his eyes at her touch, something he hadn't been sure he would feel again. Her hand slipped around to his neck and he felt her pull him close. He opened his eyes and looked at her, slightly curious.

She smiled. "However," a mischievous tone to her voice, "you do have a lot of kisses I will be expecting you to catch up on. Fifteen years worth to be precise," she said.

"Better get started on that. Could take me a while," Callen replied as he moved closer.

"Rest of our lives should get you done," Kim whispered just before their lips met again.


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N - Thanks so much for all the support, reviews and alerts Callen and Bella's story it almost at an end. Only two more chapters after this one._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Chapter 25**

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them apart. Callen pulled his eyes away from Kim to glance at the door, ready to tell whoever it was to get lost.

Except he couldn't. It was Fornell and Gibbs.

"Glad to see you two seem to have gotten it together," Gibbs remarked.

Callen stood up and looked back to Kim, a grin forming on both their faces.

"Took you long enough, Callen," Fornell added as he walked over to kiss Kim on the cheek.

"Good to see you awake … and happy," Fornell said gently to her.

Kim smiled at her uncle. One that was gentle but then changed slightly. Fornell frowned, wondering what he was in trouble for.

"You told him."

Fornell stepped back slightly, looking nervous and tilted his head at Gibbs, "It was him, not me."

Gibbs stayed by the door. Callen chuckled softly in amusement, at the look on Gibbs' face. He honestly looked scared.

"Gibbs," Kim said firmly. "Come here." She held back a smile at the look of trepidation on Gibbs' face. He couldn't possibly be worried that she would hurt him, given her present condition.

"You should probably do what she says Gibbs," Callen added, trying not to smile. "She's rather determined."

Gibbs walked slowly over. "Remember Donovan, you're injured. You shouldn't be moving around."

"Well then, you'd better come closer, hadn't you?" Kim asked, laughing softly.

Callen watched as Gibbs walked closer, wondering just what it was that had the ever tough Gibbs looking so nervous.

Kim lifted her hand carefully, waving him closer. Gibbs complied and lent down to her.

"Thank you," Kim said softly as she put a hand on his neck and pulled him closer to kiss him on the cheek. She let him go and smiled.

"Not in trouble?" Gibbs asked.

Kim shook her head. "Not this time."

Gibbs stood up, obvious relief on his face. He glanced between Callen and Kim, a smile forming on his face. "So I'm guessing you wouldn't agree to going out to dinner with me?"

"Gibbs," Fornell warned.

"Dinner, yes," Kim answered. Gibbs eyes went wide and she smiled again. "Date, no."

Seriously, after everything they had been through, did he really think he had a chance, especially with Callen standing right there.

Gibbs shrugged. "Had to try. Make sure Callen knows he's got competition if he messes up."

Callen reached for Kim's hand and she turned, smiling at him.

"Not gonna mess up, Gibbs." Except it wasn't really Gibbs he was saying it. Kim smiled softly at him, understanding on her face that he was promising her that.

"Kimmy," Fornell said, "we've got to go back to Washington. I'm going to give Neil a hand with the rest of this investigation. Make sure it gets done."

Kim nodded, her smile dropping slightly.

"Do me a favour Donovan," Gibbs said.

Kim raised her eyebrows. Gibbs glanced at Callen. "Keep him out of trouble. I really don't want to have to fly across the country for a while because one of you lands in the hospital again."

One day Callen would have to ask just what it was between the two of them, because Gibbs certainly seemed to care more for Kim than her joining him on that rescue mission to get him would indicate.

"I'll see what I can do," Kim replied softly, tiredness coming into her voice.

Gibbs and Fornell left and she turned to him, her eye lids dropping slightly.

"Sorry, so sleepy."

"I'll be here when you wake up," Callen assured her.

"You don't have to. Go, get some sleep."

"Later," he said softly as her eyes closed again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

The next day Kim sent Callen home. He hadn't slept in a bed for a few of days, refusing to leave her until the sedation they had put her under had fully worn off. Just in case she woke up and couldn't remember what was real again. She said he needed a shave. Apparently she wasn't keen on the scruffy look. Plus, they were going to move her from ICU, so he might as well do something whilst he waited for them to get her settled.

After grabbing a couple of hours sleep, a shower and the requested shave, Callen was walking down the corridor back to her room, when a feeling came over him that something wasn't right. He frowned and, as he focused on the door up ahead that was hers, he saw a man step through it. That was when he knew what was wrong. There was no security outside her room. As fear wrapped around his heart, he quickened his pace, hand going to rest on his gun, but refraining from pulling it out just yet, mindful of the people milling around. Callen arrived at her door, pausing briefly as he unholstered it, and then stepped quickly through it, training his gun on the man who was standing right next to Kim.

"Get away from her!" Callen ordered.

The man looked at him and, seeing the gun he was holding, held his hands up in a sign of surrender.

"Step back," he said, glancing briefly to Kim to make sure she was okay.

"G!" Kim exclaimed. "Put it away, please."

"Bella, you okay?" Callen asked, eyes focused back on the man whose hands were still held up, noticing a small smile on his face.

"I'm fine, G. Please. This is Brendan."

Callen frowned. Brendan? The ex. The one who'd been there for her. Callen slowly lowered his gun.

"Please G, put it away. The girls are coming," Kim begged.

Callen could hear the light, childish giggles from just outside and quickly holstered his gun as he stepped over to her side.

"Thank you," she said softly, reaching for his hand, as two little girls came bouncing into the room.

"Aunty Kim, I got you flowers," said the bigger one.

"Me too," added the little one, as the both tried to get up on the bed with her.

The bigger one stopped when she noticed Callen. "Are you Aunty Kim's boyfriend?" she asked

Callen raised his eyebrows at Kim. Brendan chuckled and she threw him a glare, which Callen was pleased wasn't directed at him.

The little girl opened her mouth again, but before she could speak her dad did.

"Ash," Brendan said, "Leave Aunty Kim's boyfriend alone."

Callen couldn't help but laugh and Kim turned her glare on him and he stopped abruptly.

"For that," Kim said, her look turning playful, as she turned to the littlest one, "Kayla, this is Callen. And he's extremely ticklish behind the knees," Callen swallowed nervously as she continued, "and he really loves to be tickled there."

"Bella," Callen warned. Trust her to remember that. No one else knew about that weak spot.

"Really?" Eyes lit up at the suggestion, from both little girls, and Callen knew he that, even though they were so much smaller than he was, he was in big trouble.

"Ash, Kayla, where's your mum?" Brendan asked, distracting the two girls from the mission their aunt had sent them on.

"Right here," a woman answered as she walked into the room carrying some flowers.

She walked over, putting one bouquet of flowers on each bedside table, then giving Kim a kiss on the cheek. "The girls picked them," she said, stepping back to slip an arm around Brendan's waist.

"This one's from me," Ashleigh said, pointing to the bright colourful one.

"This one's for me," Kayla added referring to the other, which was full of pink flowers of all different types.

"From me," their mom corrected.

"Callen, this is Jennifer. Brendan's wife," Kim introduced. "The mother of these two crazy, adorable creatures, who seem to have forgotten what -" Callen put his hand over Kim's mouth gently, but quickly, to stop her.

"I'm sure it can stay forgotten." Callen removed his hand slowly.

"Hi," he added as he turned to look at the family who was surrounding Bella. He turned back to her, "I'll come back later."

"You don't have to go, Callen. We've got to get these two some lunch," Jennifer said. "We've been here a while. The girls wanted to get flowers before we left."

Brendan lifted the girls, one by one, onto the bed to say goodbye and give Kim a gentle hug, then he reached down, gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek and whispered something in her ear that Callen couldn't hear. It made him slightly nervous.

"Thanks," Kim said softly. Callen could see how much she still cared about him and his family.

Jennifer ushered the girls out the door with a final wave. Brendan paused at the door and looked back, his attention focused solely on Callen.

"Hurt her again, you'll learn there's a whole lot I haven't taught her," Brendan warned. He glanced at Kim, smiled and left.

"Guess I've been warned," Callen replied as he turned back to Kim.

"He means well," Kim assured him. She blinked back the tears. Brendan had never let her down, even after she'd called it off. He'd always been there for her, protecting her however he could. Even after Jennifer came along. He was now like the brother she always wished she'd had. A grown up version of Henry.

"Yeah, so does your uncle, Simon, Neil and Gibbs. So he's gonna be at least fifth in line if I mess up. Anyone else I should know about?" He had to wonder just how many protectors she had out there.

"You planning on messing up?" Kim asked cheekily.

"No," Callen denied, wondering what she was up to.

"Then no," she shook her head slightly, "no one else to worry about. Except me." Callen raised an eyebrow at her comment. She grinned. "You haven't kissed me yet."

Callen smiled. "I got a little distracted thinking you were in danger."

"Hetty sent the security home. No one's after us, at least not related to this," Kim assured him.

Callen lent down and kissed her gently, not expecting her to reach up and hold him there, deepening the kiss as she did.

He pulled back, cleared his throat. Kim smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"You're going to be a difficult patient aren't you?" he asked at that look from her.

"Depends."

Callen raised his eyebrows. "On?"

"How long it takes you to get me out of the hospital," Kim said.

"When the doctor says you can go home," Callen said, his tone firm. There was no way she was leaving this hospital until it was safe for her to do so. No matter how much he wanted to take her home now.

"Then we could have a problem," Kim added.

"Why?"

She looked intently at him, a familiar look in her eyes, that he knew he would have had difficulty ignoring if she hadn't been lying on a hospital bed and injured.

"Don't like the bed," she replied.

"Why not?"

Kim grinned. "Not enough room for two."

Definitely trouble.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N - Second last chapter, only the epilogue to go, so speak quickly if there is something I haven't covered yet. _

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

**Chapter 26**

Just over two weeks later, Kim was ready to be released from the hospital. Well, the doctors were finally ready to release her. She'd been ready for a while. They were now waiting for her discharge papers to be brought in for her to sign, and Sam to arrive, then they would go. She was already dressed, packed and sitting impatiently on the bed.

"How are we going to do this?" Callen asked, deciding that she needed something to distract her from the waiting. Might as well take the time to talk.

Kim frowned and looked from the door back to him, "What do you mean?"

"I'm in L.A. You're in Washington."

Her heart started to race, fear briefly taking over her emotions.

"You don't want..."

Callen shook his head and gave her a look which stopped her words and the thoughts there. They were obvious from the look on her face.

"I want to know how we are going to do this," Callen said, his tone serious but gentle. "I'm not looking for a way out, Bella."

Kim closed her eyes briefly and took a calming breath. "Sorry."

Callen moved from the chair to sit on the bed next to her. "I've still got some work to do, don't I?" he asked softly as he put his hand gently on her knee.

She looked up and frowned.

"To make up for leaving," he added.

"You don't have to make up for anything, G," Kim replied as she looked down at her fingers, which were playing randomly with each other. She stopped them and looked back to him. "It's just going to take me a little time." As much as she wanted to forget the bad times in the past, it was a little harder to control the emotional reactions that came from those events.

"So ... how are we going to do this?" Callen asked again. He didn't want to ask her to quit her job, though it was extremely tempting. He really didn't enjoy sitting by her bedside helplessly whilst she fought for her life. And he didn't want to leave OSP. He'd finally found a job he was happy with, that accepted him, faults and all. Where those faults, in some cases, actually helped him.

"Perhaps I can offer a solution," Hetty volunteered as she stepped through the door. Kim's face had lit up when the door first opened, at the thought her papers were here and she was free, but it was replaced with a disappointed look when she saw it was only Hetty.

"A solution to what?" Callen asked, noting Sam followed Hetty in. One obstacle down, one to go.

"How you two can stay together, in the one place," Hetty answered.

Callen raised his eyebrows, one side of his mouth tilting in a smile. He was intrigued that Hetty had known what they were talking about. Even more so, that she actually had an idea, when this was the first time he'd brought it up with Kim.

Callen glanced at Kim, who looked just as curious as he did.

Turning back to Hetty he asked, "What's your idea, Hetty?"

Sam lounged against the wall and Hetty stepped closer to the two of them as she spoke.

"We could do with having a dedicated team member to train our up and coming undercover operatives, as well as refresh our more experienced ones on certain techniques. Agent Donovan has the necessary skills. We know that even with the official training course, there is still so much more for an agent to learn. Perhaps she would like to … step back from the field and do some teaching." There was silence in the room for a brief moment, before Hetty continued. "Of course, there will always be the possibility of a mission needing a, slightly more mature woman on the team, as this previous one did, so you wouldn't need to step back entirely."

Kim looked at Hetty in disbelief. Hetty barely knew her.

"Are you offering me a job, Hetty?"

Hetty tilted her head slightly, not enough to be taken as answer though. "The opportunity is there, should you be interested. Think about it." Glancing at Sam, she continued.

"Now, Mr Hanna is here to take you home, once your discharge papers have been signed."

"Where exactly are you taking me to?" Kim asked, looking between Sam and Callen.

"My place," Callen replied, a soft smile on his face that had her curiosity rising.

"Sam said you didn't have a place," Kim said, watching the play of emotions on Callen's face. There was definitely something going on here.

"Sam doesn't know everything," Callen said with a grin.

"Most things."

Callen rolled his eyes at Sam's comment. "Just what has Sam told you?" he asked, turning back to Kim, wondering whether it had been a bad idea to let Sam visit Kim in the hospital alone.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked again.

"Home."

"Where's that?" Sam asked, a frown on his face. Callen and Hetty had only told him this morning that Kim was getting out and they hadn't told him where he was taking them.

"A nice little house in the suburbs that Hetty helped me acquire recently."

About three weeks before Kim had burst back into his life, Hetty had pointed out that the house he had spent three months in as a teenager, the Rostoff's home, was on the market. She asked whether he was interested in it. He hadn't been sure and told Hetty he would think about it. In the end, it had only taken him a night to decide. He didn't have a whole lot of good times from his childhood, but that house had been filled with them. So he had told Hetty to go ahead and take care of it. A week ago, with a subtle push from Hetty, the paper work had gone through and now it was his. Hetty had also helped him organise some furniture for it, so he could take Kim back there when she was released. If she agreed.

"White picket fence?" Kim asked.

"No."

"Dog?"

"Nope." Callen had a feeling he was getting the third degree, or twenty questions.

"Bed big enough for two?"

He smiled. That had been the first item of furniture he'd brought. "Yep."

"Let's go then," Kim said, making a move to get up as she looked at him with a smile.

The look in her eyes had him turning serious.

"Bella," he warned. Kim stopped moving.

"G," she teased back.

Sam chuckled. "Need some extra training G? Make sure she doesn't get you flat on your back? Unless that's where you want to be."

Hetty tapped Sam on the arm. He looked down at her. Hetty wiggled her finger at him, silently asking him to come down closer. He did, reluctantly and with a small amount of ... terror perhaps, settling in his stomach.

"Further, Mr Hanna." Sam did as he was told, whilst Callen and Kim looked on curious.

Sam made it down to eye level with Hetty. She smacked him on the back of the head.

Callen and Kim only just managed not to burst out laughing at the scene that had just played in front of them.

"Sorry Hetty." Sam quickly stood up and stepped back from her.

"You understand?" Hetty asked, her tone disbelieving. Kim glanced at Callen who just shook his head. He didn't know what Hetty was meaning either.

"Mouth shut about G's love life," Sam answered.

A look of surprise came over Hetty's features.

"Well, I had never really been a fan of Agent Gibbs' habit," Hetty mused. "I believe I have just become a convert."

Callen almost choked, holding back another laugh at the look that came over Sam at the thought of that happening more than once.

"Hetty, you don't need the head smack," Callen said. Hetty looked over at him, a twinkle in her eye. "A look is all you'll ever need," he assured her.

Kim laughed quietly next to him. It was a soft, happy one. One he hoped to be able to coax out of her often, as he used to.

"Nevertheless," Hetty said, "additional forms of effective communication are always useful to have up ones sleeve. I will see you all later," Hetty added, giving a wink to Kim just before she turned and walked out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~o

Papers signed, a slow walk out of the hospital and a mysterious car ride later, Callen and Kim were walking slowly up the front path to the house. Sam had dropped them off and left them to it, taking a rain-check on the tour this time.

Kim stopped about halfway up the path and turned to face Callen. "It's beautiful, G." The archway, the roses, it was so warm and inviting.

"Come on," he smiled, "let's go inside. You might change your opinion once in there." Callen slipped his arm around her shoulders and guided her up the small steps and through the front door.

"So you just got this?" Kim asked curiously.

"Hetty helped. I spent a few months here when I was fourteen." Callen could still picture what it had been like then.

"Alina," Kim said softly. He turned to her, a frown briefly coming across his face until he remembered that he had told her about Alina. Once. He wondered what else she had stored away that he had mentioned.

"Yeah," he agreed softly.

"This was home," Kim added.

The only place he had really felt welcomed in and a part of a family.

"And now it is again," Callen said.

He slipped a hand to the back of her neck, moved in close and kissed her gently.

"Yours too, if you want." he added, when he pulled back.

"You gonna show me around? Before I decide?" Kim grinned cheekily.

"Actually, I'm going to take you to bed." She raised her eyebrows and gave him a quick check over, followed up by a suggestive look. Callen looked at her seriously as he added, "Doctors orders. You need to rest."

Perhaps he shouldn't have agreed to trying to get her released early, but she didn't want to be in the hospital any longer and he'd promised he'd ask. He had and, when the doctor hadn't been adamant that she stay in the hospital, it hadn't taken much for him to promise to ensure that she would rest. He just hadn't taken into account what she might do once home.

"I also need to know where the bathroom is, so you might as well just give me a tour," Kim suggested.

Callen started to steer them toward the bedroom. "There's an ensuite. You won't have any trouble finding it."

"How many bedrooms?" Kim asked as they walked down a hall and turned into the main bedroom. Callen could tell she was getting tired already. Her steps were losing their bounce, the excitement of being free from the hospital slowly fading, and her voice didn't have quite the same strength to it.

"Four," he answered.

Kim turned to him, a curious expression on her face. "That's a lot of room for just two of us."

Callen shrugged, and moved over to the bed to pull the covers back, not saying any more.

"G," Kim said softly, hope bringing to the surface an old dream, that she had long given up to the realm of fantasy.

Callen stopped fiddling and turned back to her.

"This is family home G, meant for kids too," Kim said. "Is that what you want?"

They looked at each other, like they were trying to read each others mind. One not being sure if his answer would scare her away, the other not sure if she could give him what she was sure he wanted.

"If you do," Callen eventually responded. The ball was in her court. He wanted a family with her. He always had. But after last time, it was a dream he'd put away. His life was too dangerous. But maybe, maybe together, they'd be enough to keep that family safe. Whether their lives would lead them in that direction, he wasn't sure and he certainly didn't want to pressure her into something she didn't want.

"What kind of family?" Kim asked softly.

Callen's heart leapt a little, hope rising that she wanted this too. Then the nerves kicked in.

"I don't know. Maybe husband, wife, 2.3 kids, dog."

Kim looked surprised. She stepped closer to him, an intense look on her face as she focused on his, whilst she asked the next question.

"Is that a marriage proposal?"

Callen figured he might as well run with it, see if she was interested. He stayed still, his eyes focused on hers.

"Maybe."

Kim stepped over to him, her arms slipping gently around his neck as a smile slowly spread on her lips. His arms slipped around her waist and he started to smile as well.

Until her hand came into contact with his head, reminiscent of a head-smack from Gibbs, albeit somewhat softer.

"What?" he asked, slightly shocked.

Kim grinned and shook her head slightly. "I'm sure Gibbs would have done that if he'd been here to hear you propose like that."

"Did I propose?" She was still in his arms and when she pulled back to step away, he held her close. He'd missed holding her like this. She smiled at his actions and stopped, settling back into his arms, her head tilted back slightly so she could see his face easier.

"Well, you see. Not quite sure." The tilt to her head added to the cheekiness that the sparkle in her eyes brought to her face. "It's probably not the best idea to suggest that you're looking for a husband, wife, kids scenario to a woman you've just moved into your home, and your bed, unless you are actually meaning for her to be a part of it."

"Given my work, I could probably do with a maid. I'm kidding," Callen added quickly, as he narrowly avoided a repeat. "Have you ever been on the recieving end of one those from Gibbs?" he asked, curious at where she'd learnt that from.

"Once." Kim gave a wicked smile. "He didn't like my response."

Callen wondered just what she had done. An image of Sam flashed before his eyes. "Flat on his back on the floor?" he asked.

Kim shook her head. "Face up against the wall. He didn't enjoy that so he never did it again."

Callen raised his eyebrows, wanting more.

"It wasn't a smooth wall."

She bit her lip, then asked again. "You want kids?"

"Bella, it's okay." Callen slid the fingers of one hand through her hair. It was so soft and tempting. "Kids, yes, no, it doesn't matter. Just tell me you'll stay."

Suddenly he understood how Brendan had felt. He'd take whatever she'd be willing to give him, if only she'd stay by his side.

Kim pulled back away from him and stepped out of his arms. Callen's heart started to sink as he tried to figure out if he had made some collosal mistake he hadn't known he was doing.

"Kids do matter," Kim said. "Family matters to you. It always has. But ... I'm not exactly that young G, I..."

"Bella, however they come. From us, adoption, fostering."

"You want to foster kids?"

It had slipped out in his haste to take the pressure off her. It wasn't that he hadn't thought about it. He had. When they'd come across some kid who was in trouble, with no family. He'd wondered what would happen to them. Occasionally wondered whether or not he'd have been able to help them, if he'd had a stable home to take them to. The thought of coming home to her, to some kids laughing and running around the lounge room. It was so very appealing. Even if it might not be possible, given who they were and had been, it didn't stop him hoping.

"Maybe." Callen shrugged. "I don't know. Don't exactly know what to do with them and it's not exactly like we'd pass the tests without Hetty pulling a few dozen strings and Eric -" Kim put her hand on his mouth to stop him rambling.

"Stop, please."

Callen frowned.

Kim shook her head at his look and removed her hand. She closed her eyes whilst she tried to work out the words she wanted to tell him. There had been so much confusion in the past, they'd paid the price for not being clear and honest with each other.

Callen's nerves were on edge. He wanted her to stay, didn't want to scare her off, just when he had her back.

Kim opened her eyes again and looked at him, pleading with him, "Please don't interrupt. Just listen til I'm done, okay?"

Callen nodded his agreement, that uneasiness growing that this wasn't going to go as planned.

"I love you. I never stopped."

Kim took another breath as Callen waited patiently, a small amount of him relieved at her first words.

"I don't know if I'll take Hetty's job offer, but between sick leave, vacation time and long service leave, it will give me a few months, at least, to decide."

Callen's stomach clenched at the thought that she didn't know if this would work out and was keeping the door open. He couldn't blame her though. Again, he waited.

_Take your time Bella. One step at a time. Tell him what you need to. Make it clear._

"There are FBI offices here in L.A, so if I don't take Hetty up on it, I should be able to get a transfer ... if we want."

Kim wasn't entirely sure what she wanted anymore, work-wise. She'd have moved out of the field long ago if she'd had a reason to, but she hadn't. She'd been good at her job and no one had tried to force a desk job on her just because of her age. In fact, it had been the other way around for her, they'd actively encouraged her to stay out there, upgrade her skills and keep doing what she loved. It hadn't been a hard decision. She had no one to go home to, no reason to make her life that little bit safer.

That little word, we, brought even more relief to Callen's stress levels. She'd included him, seemed like she wanted to have his input on that decision.

Kim took another breath and smiled gently at him.

"You will make a great dad." Her voice breaking slightly as she said those words. "You know what not to do. You have a great example of the good kind from when you were right here."

Callen took a step closer but she shook her head and he stopped.

She needed space to get this last thought into the right words.

"Kids. I..." Kim closed her eyes again. "I always... " She opened her eyes again. "I used to dream about you and I with kids, giving you that family you so desperately wanted." There were tears in her eyes and it took everything in him not to step forward and close the distance between them. Take her in his arms and comfort her, but there was something else in her eyes that helped him hold back. She didn't need comfort. This wasn't hurting her.

"I... I still do." The tears spilled over. Callen finally stepped closer and wiped them away. "However they come," she added with smile.

Callen's heart soared as he never thought it could. He had her back.

"Does that mean you'll stay?" he asked. He wasn't going to jump to any conclusions right now. He needed the words.

"Yes, I'll stay."

Callen pulled her carefully into his arms and kissed her gently. At least, that had been his plan until she kissed him back and then he kind of forgot about everything, until she gasped slightly in pain.

"Sorry," he said as he stepped back.

"It's okay, I just moved the wrong way." She smiled. "Need a little practice," she added with a mischievous smile. Both of them remembered another time she had said those words.

"Need a little rest," Callen corrected, as he gently steered her over to the bed.


	27. Epilogue

_A/N - Well this lovely story has finally come to an end. This chapter is pure romantic fluff so I hope you like it. I think these two deserved it after everything they have been through. Sorry, I've put them through._

_Now, a big note of thanks to the reviewers for helping make this story such fun. As well as those favouriting and alerting this story. Reviews are always appreciated, even when the story is over._

_An extremely large thank you to TXJ for setting the plot bunnies loose with a few rules and requests for this story. I hope I have done your ideas for Kimberly Isabella Donovan and G Callen justice. I have had a ball writing this story, never expecting it to end up so big. Thank you._

_Now that this one is over, I get to herd the bunnies over to 'Compromised', as well as letting a couple of them work on my original "Who was she?" story, which was written a while ago but needs a little work. It will be posted sometime soon and titled 'Wildfire'. Hopefully that one will entertain you as well. _

_So, after that blatant plugging of my other stories ;-) here it is. _

_The final Chapter. Oh and it is from Callen's pov. Didn't mean it to be but that's the way it happened.  
_

_Enjoy and thank you once again for all your support._

_Disclaimer in Chapter 1_

_._

**Epilogue**

Callen carried Bella through the door, kicked it closed and put her down gently on her feet. Bella smiled; a sweet, seductive smile that should have warned him what she was about to do. She kissed him; passionately and without reservation, as her hands found a way to quickly shed his jacket, tie and have half the buttons on his shirt undone before he could get his act together enough to try and put a stop to things.

"Bella," he warned as he stepped away. Admittedly it was a half-hearted warning, which she obviously picked up on, as she stepped back to him.

"G," she followed with, as her fingers continued making light work of the final buttons.

"Don't." This time the protest was barely a token gesture. "Doctor said another week," Callen added, his fists clenching at his side, trying not to let them do what they desperately wanted to, which was entirely similar to what she was doing to him.

"Since when do you follow doctors orders," Bella questioned, a smile flickering across her face as she moved her head closer and kissed him along his jawline to his ear.

"This isn't about me," Callen replied, one of his hands finding it's way to the clip that was holding her hair up and releasing it, allowing the soft, red hair to fall about her shoulders.

"No, this is about us," Bella replied, as she pushed his shirt of his shoulders and he let it fall to the ground. She was determined and he wasn't sure he had the willpower to resist. Bella placed a gentle kiss on his chest and then she stepped back, a tantalising smile coming to her face, as she reached behind her and he heard the slight sound of a zip. As her dress dropped to her feet, his mouth went dry and he was pretty sure that whatever willpower he had left had dropped along with the dress. He also came to the conclusion fairly quickly, that it had been lucky he had no idea what she had been wearing underneath her dress, otherwise they would have been back here long ago.

Bella's smile intensified at his reaction and she stepped out of the pool of white material at her feet and over to him. Her hands moved over his arms, up and around his neck. His arms finding their way around her waist, stroking the smooth, warm bare skin that covered her spine. She kissed him again, teasing, flirtatious kisses that had him following her as she slowly moved them back toward the bed. When Bella felt the bed come up against her legs, she turned and pushed him back on his back, following closely.

Bella looked down at him and smiled, "Flat on your back. Did I follow closely enough?" she asked, her tone cheeky but with a underlying tone of desire he easily heard. Callen moved his hands reluctantly from her hips, into her hair, holding her back from kissing him again. He had to try once more, so he could at least say to himself that he did everything he could.

"Bella please. I don't want to hurt you," he pleaded with her. At least that was real, he was worried about that. It had only been six weeks since the stabbing and whilst she was mostly recovered, much quicker than the doctor had originally predicted, she hadn't been given the all clear yet.

"You won't," Bella whispered and kissed him, any more thoughts of protest cleared from his mind as she ran her tongue over his bottom lip, enticing him to allow her entrance, which of course, he couldn't resist doing.

Bella sat up, far too soon for his liking, pulling him up to her. She motioned for him to move up the bed, lifting her body weight off him so he could. She ran her hands over his chest and down his arms, twining her fingers with his. She used her hold to lower him back onto the pillows, then moved their joined hands above his head as she lowered herself over him. He wasn't quite sure what she had in mind for tonight but he let her lead. If she wasn't going to take no for an answer, then at least if she was in control, he hoped there would be less of a risk of her getting hurt. She kissed him again, distracting him completely until he heard a familiar sound, a sound that he shouldn't be hearing right now.

"What?" He looked up above his head and then back at her.

Bella grinned, a combination of sexy, tantalising and mischief. One he hadn't actually seen before. But then, she'd never done this to him before.

"Bella," he said seriously, "come on. No handcuffs."

"Why not? It not the real reason why you don't date badges."

Callen frowned slightly, though it was difficult to stay mad at her as she kissed her way down his neck and chest. He sucked in a breath as her fingers brushed low against his stomach and started working on his belt.

"You've been talking to Sam again," he said, watching her. She looked up as she removed with his belt and, as she moved back up to him, her fingers danced lightly up his chest. This was entirely unfair, though if he wasn't so worried about her getting hurt, it would be thoroughly enjoyable.

Bella smiled softly, she could see the concern in his eyes. She lent down to his ear and whispered, "Don't worry G," before kissing his neck, just below his ear. Apparently she did remember things about him too. Then she moved back so she could look at him as she told him the rest.

"Your present from me. As long as we don't do anything too … acrobatic, vigorous or dangerous," she grinned at the look on his face, letting one of her hands run all the way from his cheek, down his neck, chest and lower still, as she continued, "and stick to slow and gentle, the doctor said there is no reason why we can't enjoy this honeymoon just as much as anyone else."

So she'd been holding out on him. "Is that right, Mrs Callen?" he asked, the name rolling so easily off his tongue.

They could have waited longer, until the all clear from the doctor had come through and then planned things, but neither of them had wanted to wait that long. He didn't want to give her a chance to change her mind, and she needed the reassurance that he was truly hers. Her emotions still had a tendency to doubt that he was. That, and Hetty had apparently found the perfect spot for them to go for their honeymoon but it was only available for the next four weeks. So they planned the wedding; quick, simple and quiet. Only close friends and family. The guest list had totaled fifteen, including themselves. They'd already wasted fifteen years. It hadn't taken them long. A mere three weeks from when he had asked her. Which was a few days after he had taken her home from the hospital - he didn't count what happened that first day - and the day after she had told Hetty she'd take the job.

"It is, Mr Callen," Bella added.

"Handcuffs off please," Callen requested, a touch of desperation in his voice.

"Give me one good reason and I'll think about it." Bella smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. One day he'd tell her what that actually did to him, that is, unless she already knew. He figured she didn't, otherwise he'd have had a lot more … trouble with her recuperation than he already had.

"You told Sam that if they had their own handcuffs you were out of there," Bella continued. "I'm just showing you it's not such a bad thing."

And she was doing a very good job of it. But...

"Not tonight Bella," Callen said firmly, as he caught her gaze with his.

"One good reason G, that's all it will take," Bella added as she made the most of him being unable to stop her reeking havoc, entirely delightful havoc, with his body and his control.

It took him a few minutes before he was able to voice his reason, hoping it was good enough because he didn't think he'd have another chance with the way she was teasing him.

"We've waited a long time for this night. You really want me to not be able to touch you?" Callen asked.

Bella stopped, looked up at him and smiled. "You are good, Sir. Nicely played." She moved up and kissed him gently, whilst she undid the handcuffs. As soon as he heard them click open, he rolled her carefully over onto her back.

"So, what are you going to do now you are free?" Bella asked, her voice soft, enticing and full of something he desired more than anything else, her love.

Callen ran his fingers gently down his wife's cheek and smiled. "Show you what you would have missed out on."

.

.

_A/N 2 - just in case you were wondering, I did deliberately change Kim to Bella for this chapter. After all, Bella is back._


End file.
